A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Characterisation of Autochthonous Istrian Olive (Olea europaea L.) Varieties

The Istrian region (Croatia) has a long olive growing and oil producing tradition as well as evident biological diversity in local olive (Olea europaea L.) germplasm. The olive oil is one of the most important typical food products in Istria. Considering the current tendency of consumers to select typical regional products, there is a need to define Istrian autochthonous olive varieties and to characterize the specificity of related oils. The aim of this study is to apply a multidisciplinary approach for that purpose. Morphological and molecular descriptions of four varieties (Buža, Buža puntoža, Istarska bjelica and Rosinjola) as well as the results of chemical analyses of their oils are reported. A total of 23 morphological traits, microsatellite profiles on 12 SSR loci, extractability index, olive oil minor compounds, colour and antioxidant activity have been determined and the results are reported in the following paper