Olive Oil Terroir: understanding the role of geographical origin in the olive oil chemical-sensory quality differention- PRT/BD/154026/2022

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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

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Influence of geographical origin on the sensory and volatile profiles of Portuguese monovarietal olive oils

Publication . Rocha, Pedrina; Ruano, Daniela; Ferreiro, Nuno; Martins, Luísa L.; Rodrigues, Nuno

The sensory and volatile profiles of monovarietal olive oils from the Portuguese cultivars Cobrançosa and Galega, produced in three geographical regions (Alentejo, Beira Interior, and Trás-os-Montes), were investigated to evaluate the effects of cultivar and geographical origin. All samples were classified as extra virgin olive oil. Sensory analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between cultivars and among regions. Cobrançosa olive oils exhibited an intense green sensory profile, characterized by high green fruitiness, and tomato, apple, and herbaceous notes, particularly in oils from Trás-os-Montes and Alentejo. In contrast, Galega olive oils showed a more balanced and moderated sensory profile, with lower intensities of bitterness and pungency and variability among regions. Volatile characterization by HS–SPME–GC–MS led to the identification of 26 compounds in Cobrançosa and 29 in Galega olive oils, grouped into seven chemical families. Olive oils from Beira Interior and Trás-os-Montes showed higher concentrations of lipoxygenase-derived C5 and C6 compounds, such as (E)-2-hexenal, associated with green and fruity sensory sensations, whereas Alentejo oils exhibited lower volatile diversity but higher relative abundance of certain sesquiterpenes. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong association between sensory descriptors and key volatile compounds, highlighting region specific sensory-chemical patterns. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on sensory and volatile data achieved excellent classification performance, with accuracies up to 100% for both cultivars. Overall, the results demonstrate an interaction between cultivar and geographical origin, supporting the use of sensory and volatile profiling as tools for the differentiation and authentication of Portuguese monovarietal olive oils.

2026Artigo científico

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Entidade financiadora

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Programa de financiamento

Universidade de Lisboa (ul) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA)

Número da atribuição

PRT/BD/154026/2022