Superior EVOO Quality Production: An RGB Sorting Machine for Olive Classification.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a commercial product of high quality, thanks to its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. The olives ripeness and the choice of harvest time according to their color and size, strongly influences the quality of the EVOO. The physical sorting of olives with machines performing rapid and objective optical selection, impossible by hand, can improve the quality of the final product. The aim of this study concerns the classification of olives into two qualitative classes, based on the maturity stage and the presence of external defects, through an industrial RGB optical sorting prototype, evaluating its performance and comparing the results with those obtained visually by trained operators. EVOOs obtained from classified olives were characterized through chemical, physical-chemical analysis and sensory profile. For the first time, the optoelectronic technologies in an industrial system was tested on olives to produce superior quality EVOO. The selection allows late harvest, obtaining oils with good characteristics from fully ripe and unripe fruits together, separating defective olives with appropriate calibration and training. Optoelectronic selection creates the opportunity to blend the obtained oils destined to different applications according to the needs of the consumer or producer, using a vanguard technology at low cost.

Effects of Ultrasound Technology on the Qualitative Properties of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The development of innovative technologies in the mechanical extraction process of extra virgin olive oil can improve its quality standards through the modulation of physical, chemical and biochemical processes. Extra virgin olive oil quality and varietal differentiation are influenced by many factors, particularly the extraction. The use of ultrasound technology in the extraction process does not affect the quality, the composition, and the thermal properties of the oil, facilitating its separation from solids, and it allows the release of active compounds from the olive paste, with a positive influence on the phenolic content. In this study, the impact of ultrasound technologies was evaluated on merceological parameters, quality profile, and organoleptic features of extra virgin olive oils extracted from whole and destoned olives of the three main Italian cultivars (i.e., Peranzana, Canino, and Coratina). The parameters analyzed were influenced by both genotype and treatment, in particular, sonication did not lead to significant changes in the nutraceutical profile of the oils. The de-stoned olives were able to determine a great improvement of oil quality both for phenolic and volatile composition with a significant enhancement of health and sensory properties of the product.

Characterization of 'Olivastro di Bucchianico cv' extra virgin olive oils and its recognition by HS-GC-IMS.

BACKGROUND: Single cultivar 'Olivastro di Bucchianico' extra virgin olive oil is obtained from olives cultivated in a narrow area of the Abruzzo region, Italy. This cultivar is mostly present in the municipality of Bucchianico and in some neighbouring municipalities in the province of Chieti. There is very little research in the literature describing the morphological and chemical characteristics of this cultivar. RESULTS: A morphological characterization of the plant and the fruit was carried out. In addition, we characterized the chemical, physical-chemical and sensory properties of the extra virgin olive oil. The following analyses were conducted: free acidity, peroxide value, ultraviolet spectrophotometric indices, contents in fatty acid ethyl esters, waxes, tocopherols, fatty acids, triglycerides, sterols, alcohols, phenolic substances, volatile compounds and sensory profile. The analysis of the volatile compounds was performed using a headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) instrument connected to a nitrogen generator for carrier/drift gas production. CONCLUSION: The results of the chemical analyses showed good levels of nutraceutical components in the oils, which were found to be organoleptically well balanced with medium values of fruity, bitter and pungent. The HS-GC-IMS method based on the analysis of 15 volatile molecules might be a useful tool for a chemometric discrimination of the varietal origin for the oils under investigation. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Olive Pâté by Multi-Phase Decanter as Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds of Both Nutraceutical and Anticancer Effects.

In the oil sector, a novelty in the centrifugal extraction system is represented by the multi-phase decanters (DMF) that work without adding process water and with the advantage of recovering a dried pomace and a by-product, called "pâté", consisting of the pulp and its vegetation water, without traces of stone. The pâté has a high content of phenolic compounds, mainly represented by secoiridoids and verbascoside. The present work investigated the efficacy of two different ways of debittering (by sequential filtrations and spontaneous fermentation) of DMF pâté from three olive cultivars (Olea europaea L. "Leccino", "Carboncella" and "Tortiglione") to make the pâté edible, and, contemporary, investigated also the effect of its phenolic bioactive extracts on pathogenic bacteria and colon cancer cell model. Daily filtrations of pâté of the three cultivars have been shown to be more efficient in phenolic degradation. The activity of the indigenous microflora on the other hand takes a longer time to degrade the phenolic component and therefore to de-bitter it. None of pâté showed antibacterial activity. Colorimetric assay MTS for cell viability and metabolic activity tested on colon cancer cells CaCo2 and HCT116 suggest a potential beneficial effect of the dried extracts probably related to the modulation of gene expression under these treatments.

Ethyl esters versus fermentative organoleptic defects in virgin olive oil.

The quality and genuineness of extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) were assessed following the methods and parameters of EU Commission Regulation N° 2568/91/EEC and subsequent modifications, which also set specific limits for fatty-acid ethyl esters (FAEEs). This study included a subset of EVOOs from among 399 samples analysed as part of a monitoring study for FAEEs in EVOOs. The subset was subjected to statistical evaluation to quantify the relationships between FAEE content and sensory defects associated with fermentation: fusty/muddy sediment, musty/humid/earthy, and winey/vinegary. The use of multiple regression analysis demonstrates that FAEE content can be inferred as a function of the intensity of organoleptic defects for samples with high alkyl esters content. The intensity of the rancid defect negatively influences the accuracy of this model, because of underestimation of the fermentation defects that are also present.