ABSTRACT
Olive tree crops and the olive oil market are becoming less and less diverse due to the rise of intensive growth varieties, with the consequent loss of varietal richness provided by oils from minority and autochthonous cultivars. "Royal de Calatayud" and "Negral de Sabiñán" are two local minority cultivars in Aragon (Spain). Fruit parameters such as ripening, fresh weight, and oil yield were evaluated, as well as physico-chemical and chemical composition parameters in olive oil in comparison with "Arbequina", a cultivar widespread in Spain and other countries. Fruits were harvested from October to December in 2017 and 2019. Chemometric analysis revealed significant varietal differences among the three cultivars. In comparison with "Arbequina", higher oil yields were obtained in the two local cultivars. "Royal de Calatayud" has a higher oleic acid content and a greater quantity of phenolic compounds. It thus displays a better nutritional profile than "Arbequina". This preliminary study shows that "Royal de Calatayud" could be regarded as an excellent alternative to the "Arbequina" cultivar in the parameters analyzed.
ABSTRACT
Phenolic compounds have an important influence on fruit and nut quality. Almonds have been shown to be rich sources of phenolic compounds, which possess health-beneficial properties. The objectives of the study were to optimize an extraction method to determine the total amount of polyphenols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins as well as the antioxidant capacity. In addition, the same extract was used for the identification and quantification of flavonoids by HPLC. The study was conducted on 11 Spanish almond genotypes. The results highlight the differences in the content of antioxidants, which add value to the quality of the fruit. It has been shown that genotype may strongly influence antioxidant capacity and total phenolic compounds. In this work, the almonds with higher results were (Belona, Guara and Vialfas) varieties.
