Olive Cultivars and Harvest Index Determines Quality of Olive Oil
Olive Cultivars and Harvest Index Determines Quality of Olive Oil
Riaz Alam1*, Muhammad Sajid2, Imtiaz Hussain3, Gulzar Ullah1, Hussain Shah3, Muhammad Arshad Farooq3 and Rashid Muhammad4
ABSTRACT
The oil extracted from Manzanilla, Picual, Ottobratica, Pendolino, and Frontoio olive cultivars were assessed for quality attributes at various stages of harvesting, i.e., Lemon green, Semi-ripe and Ripe. The extracted oil from Manzanilla fruits has lower Peroxide Value (POV) (3.21 meq kg-1) with high chlorophyll (4.58 mg L-1) as well as Phenol (616.67 mg kg-1) contents. The extracted oil from Frontoio fruits exhibited a lower percentage of Free Fatty Acids (FFA) (0.43%) and a higher carotene content (2.70 mg L-1). These quality values fell within the established standards for extra virgin olive oil category by International Olive Council (IOC, 2003) except for the FFA levels in Ottobratica fruit ripe stage oil that met the criteria for virgin olive oil category. The semi-ripe stage fruits oil recorded maximum total phenols (530 mg kg-1) along with lower FFA percentage (0.25%) as well as POV (3.04 meq kg-1). In contrast, the extracted oil from ripe stage fruits had a lower phenol (361.67 mg kg-1) as well as elevated FFA (1.50%) and POV (4.43 meq kg-1), Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in carotenoids and chlorophyll content from 3.17 to 1.49 mg L-1 and 4.99 to 2.41 mg L-1, respectively in the extracted oil as fruits progressed from lemon green stage to ripe stage of harvesting. Olive cultivars Frontoio, Manzanilla and Picual are recommended for the production of extra virgin oil, while semi-ripe stage of harvesting is the optimum stage for quality oil extraction in olives in the local environmental conditions of Sangbhatti, Mardan-Pakistan.
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?
