Evaluation of Five Olive Cultivars by Morpho-agronomic, Bio-molecular and Sensory Markers for Nutraceutical Purposes

In the last few years, there has been an increasing interest towards the "nutraceutical" content of typical Mediterranean foods, particularly of extra virgin olive oil, which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. In the present work 5 olive cultivars traditionally cultivated in Basilicata region (Southern Italy) have been studied so as to identify the autochthonous cultivars producing oils with the best chemical composition. The analysis was performed on morphoagronomic, biochemical and sensory properties of oils, followed by genetic screening of 6 SSR locus markers on DNA extracted from leaves. Results showed significant differences within 5 olive cultivars in terms of leaf surface, drupe mean weight and oil yield. Biochemical analyses have shown differences in fatty acid composition of oleic, palmitic, stearic, palmitoleic and linoleic acids. Significant differences have also been found in the content of total phenols, sterols, total fatty acids and in the unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratios. Sensory profiles have provided valuable information about the organoleptic characteristics of each monovarietal oil. SSR locus markers were able to discriminate among the tested cultivars. The results of this investigation have demonstrated that the cvs Majatica di Ferrandina and Racioppa have the highest potential for producing high quality extra virgin olive oil. (C) 2015 Friends Science Publishers