Influence of geographic origin on agronomic traits and phenolic content of cv. Gemlik olive fruits

Chemometric characterization of raw olives from important Turkish table olive cultivars Cvs. using HPLC-DAD method based on their biophenolic profiles

In this study, raw fruits of important olive cultivars mostly used in the Turkish table (and oil) olive sector, Ayvalik, Gemlik, Domat, Memecik and Uslu, were investigated based on their biophenolic profiles by a HPLC-DAD method. Biophenolic compounds have great importance in olive processing (table and oil) technology and human nutrition physiology and are commonly found in natural products obtained from fruits and vegetables, including table olives and olive oil. Raw olive fruits samples, grown in Bornova and Kemapaşa which are the experimantal areas of Olive Research Institute (İzmir-Turkey), were harvested in different maturity stages during two corp years (2007-2008). The total phenolic content (TPC) and the simple biophenolic profile analysis of raw olive samples were carried out using UV/VIS spectroscopic and HPLC-DAD methods, respectively. It was showed that domestic olive cultivars, mostly used in table and oil technologies, exposed great differences in biophenolic profiles due to the cultivar and harvest time according to the results of this study. TPC data for all raw samples varied from1 89.8 mg GAE /100 g (Domat) to 421 mg GAE /100 g (Uslu). Hydroxytyrosol (HT) was the major phenolic compound for all raw olive samples and it varied from 58.70 mg/100 g (Uslu) to 27.53 mg/100 g (Memecik). The highest amount of tyrosol (TY) compound was found Uslu (21.23 mg/100 g) while Ayvalik had the lowest amount of this compound (6.13 mg/100 g). In this study, the raw fruits of the domestic five table cultivars were characterized and classified chemometric methods (Principal Component Analysis, PCA and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, HCA) based on their simple phenolic compounds. Luteloin (LT) was effective on the characterization of Uslu cultivar while Gemlik was classified with the apigenin (APG). The Hydroxytyrosol (HT) was discriminative in classification of Memecik cultivar whereas the tyrosol (TY) played role in characterization of Ayvalik cultivar.

Characterization and Discrimination of Italian Olive (Olea europaea sativa) Cultivars by Production Area Using Different Analytical Methods Combined with Chemometric Analysis

Olives and olive products are particularly important for the national agroindustrial sector, for the aspects related to the production territory (authenticity), and for the link with the Mediterranean Diet. Several studies indicate that the elemental profile of olive and olive products depends on the production area in which the olive trees were grown, and the elemental content of the olives can be used as a marker of the production area. In order to confirm this hypothesis, the multi-elemental profile of olive drupes and olive leaves of eleven cultivars arising from two different production areas was evaluated through ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques. In addition, some leaf samples were analysed by LPAS in order to evaluate the applicability of this new analytical technique for determining the geographic origin. The obtained results, combined with chemometric tools, showed the possibility of discriminating samples according to the production area on the basis of the elemental content, as well as by LPAS.

Phenolic variability in fruit from the ‘Arbequina’ olive cultivar under Mediterranean and Subtropical climatic conditions

In the present work, we compared the phenol content and composition of fruit from the ‘Arbequina’ cultivar in four Mediterranean (in Andalucía, Southern Iberian Peninsula) and two Sub-Tropical (Canary Islands) locations throughout the harvest period. Two Mediterranean and two Sub-Tropical locations were maintained with drip irrigation, while the remaining two Mediterranean locations were in dry farming. Water availability and harvest date seemed to play more important roles than air temperature on the phenolic content and most of the studied components. The variability associated with location was a result of the high values observed in the two Mediterranean locations in dry farming, with respect to the other four maintained with drip irrigation. Few differences were found among the four drip-irrigated locations, despite the fact that two were Mediterranean and the other two Sub-Tropical. In addition, a sharp decrease was observed during the harvest period for phenolic content and most of the phenolic compounds.

Development of Analytical Strategies for the Determination of Olive Fruit Bioactive Compounds Using UPLC-HRMS and HPLC-DAD. Chemical Characterization of Kolovi Lesvos Variety as a Case Study

In this study, an overall survey regarding the determination of several bioactive compounds in olive fruit is presented. Two methodologies were developed, one UPLC-Q-TOF-MS method for the determination of olive fruit phenolic compounds and one HPLC-DAD methodology targeting the determination of pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids), tocopherols (α-, β, -γ, δ-) and squalene. Target and suspect screening workflows were developed for the thorough fingerprinting of the phenolic fraction of olives. Both methods were validated, presenting excellent performance characteristics, and can be used as reliable tools for the monitoring of bioactive compounds in olive fruit samples. The developed methodologies were utilized to chemical characterize the fruits of the Kolovi olive variety, originating from the island of Lesvos, North Aegean Region, Greece. Twenty-five phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in Kolovi olives with verbascoside, hydroxytyrosol, oleacein and oleomissional found in significantly high concentrations. Moreover, 12 new bioactive compounds were identified in the samples using an in-house suspect database. The results of pigments analysis suggested that Kolovi variety should be characterized as low pigmentation, while the tocopherol and squalene content was relatively high compared to other olive varieties. The characterization of Kolovi olive bioactive content highlighted the high nutritional and possible economic value of the Kolovi olive fruit.

Study on the Relations between Hyperspectral Images of Bananas (Musa spp.) from Different Countries, Their Compositional Traits and Growing Conditions

Bananas are some of the most popular fruits around the world. However, there is limited research that explores hyperspectral imaging of bananas and its relationship with the chemical composition and growing conditions. In the study, the relations that exist between the visible near-infrared hyperspectral reflectance imaging data in the 400-1000 nm range of the bananas collected from different countries, the compositional traits and local growing conditions (altitude, temperature and rainfall) and production management (organic/conventional) were explored. The main compositional traits included moisture, starch, dietary fibre, protein, carotene content and the CIE L*a*b* colour values were also determined. The principal component analysis showed the preliminary separation of bananas from different geographical origins and production systems. The compositional and spectral data revealed positively and negatively moderate correlations (r around ±0.50, p < 0.05) between the carotene, starch content, and colour values (a*, b*) on the one hand and the wavelength ranges 405-525 nm, 615-645 nm, 885-985 nm on the other hand. Since the variation in composition and colour values were related to rainfall and temperature, the spectral information is likely also influenced by the growing conditions. The results could be useful to the industry for the improvement of banana quality and traceability.