VIRGIN OIL CHARACTERISTICS FOR SELECTED CLONES FROM ‘ARBEQUINA’ VARIETY

‘Arbequina’ is the main olive oil cultivar in Catalonia (north-east Spain) with good agronomic and commercial characteristics.
A clonal selection in this variety started in 1986 in this area.
The 15 most promising trees were preselected and included, in 1992, into a comparison trial established in Mas Bove Center.
In 1998 one clone was selected due to its good agronomical behavior, and commercialized under the label “IRTA-i•18^®“. Present report analyses virgin olive oil chemical composition and sensory characteristics for “IRTA-i•18^®” and other five clones with good agronomical behaviour (clones 5, 6, 23, 25 and 28), from this trial and during a seven years period, since 1996 to 2003 (3 trees per clone, harvested at maturity index close to 3.0). Results from chemical composition show significant differences between clones ( < 0.05). Virgin olive oil from “IRTA-i•18^®” showed, every year, the highest content in oleic acid (68.1% in average) and the lowest level in linoleic (11.7%) and palmitic (14.9%) acids.
Oil from “clone-28” was higher in total polyphenol content (245 ppm) while that from “clone-23” was lower in total polyphenol content (147 ppm), bitterness (K₂₂₅= 0.113) and oxidative stability (5.54 h at 120°C). Sensory characteristics of virgin oils were more related to years than to clones.
Even though, “clone-23” oil was significantly sweeter than the others ( < 0.05), while it was observed a decreasing range in ripe fruits intensity from “clone-5” to “clone-28”. Virgin oil from “IRTA-i•18^®” was, almost every year, the most balanced for all the attributes considered.

V International Symposium on Olive Growing

A. Romero, J. Tous, I. Díaz

Olea europaea, virgin oil quality, sensory analysis, fatty acids, polyphenols, stability, bitterness

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.791.108