Evaluation of Tunisian olive oils from different cultivars

[Excerpt] Olive oil is a highly appreciated food product due to sensory and healthy attributes, being quite prone to frauds. So, physicochemical evaluation of olive oils is legally required. In this study, 43 olive oil samples produced in Tunisia from different olive cultivars (groups: Sahli cv – 11 samples; Chetoui cv- 26 samples; and, Other cvs – 4 samples including Leguim cv and Arbequina cv) were physicochemically evaluated taking into account: (i) free acidity (FA), K232 and K270 extinction coefficients, K, and, peroxide values (PV), required for quality level classification (i.e., extra-virgin, virgin and lampante olive oil: EVOO, VOO and LOO); and (ii) other useful data for olive oil overall characterization (total phenols (TP); antioxidant capacity (DPPH); and, oxidative stability (OS)). Based on the levels found for FA, PV and extinction coefficients (K232, K270 and K), the 43 olive oils were classified as: EVOO (4 samples), VOO (5 samples) and LOO (33 samples). [...]This work was financially supported by Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM and by Project UID/QUI/00616/2013 – CQ-VR both funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit is also acknowledged. Nuno Rodrigues thanks FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for the Ph.D. Grant (SFRH/BD/104038/2014)