AppliedChem

This study examined the influence of short-term olive fruit storage on the quality of virgin olive oil (VOO) from three cultivars (‘Kalinjot’, ‘Leccino’, and ‘Frantoio’) grown in southwest Albania. Olive fruits were processed immediately after harvest, or after 10 days of storage under ambient conditions (20–22 °C) and refrigeration (5 °C). Oils were evaluated for physicochemical quality parameters (free acidity, peroxide value, and UV absorption indices), as well as bioactive and sensory-related compounds (bitterness index, chlorophylls, carotenoids, and total phenolic content). Results showed that immediate processing yielded the highest quality oils, with low free acidity (0.28–0.35%) and preserved bioactive compounds. Ambient storage led to marked deterioration, including significant increases in free acidity and peroxide values, loss of pigments, and 20–70% reduction in phenolic content, accompanied by decreased bitterness. In contrast, cold storage mitigated these effects, maintaining values closer to baseline and preserving sensory and functional attributes. ANOVA confirmed significant effects of storage duration, temperature, and cultivar on most parameters, with ‘Kalinjot’ exhibiting greater stability compared to ‘Frantoio’ and ‘Lecino’. These findings highlight that minimizing the interval between harvest and milling is critical for ensuring oil quality, while refrigerated storage offers a practical strategy to safeguard chemical and sensory characteristics when immediate processing is not feasible.

In this paper we provide the Group Contribution parameters for acetylenes and aromatic nitro compounds fitting with a recently developed Group Contribution method with chemical accuracy (1 kcal/mol) for the heat of formation of organics. These additional parameters widen the applicability of the Group Contribution method. We also provide further G4 quantum calculated values as reference when no experimental data are available and compare to previously reported G4 data.

Seeds from four landraces of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Phaseolus coccineus L.) from the National Collection of Bulgaria were analyzed for their chemical and lipid composition. The chemical analysis revealed that protein ranged from 24.4% to 31.5%, carbohydrates from 53.1% to 56.1%, fat from 0.9% to 1.4%, fiber from 2.6% to 2.8%, and ash from 3.9% to 4.7%, indicating their high nutritional and caloric value. The seed oils contained significant levels of bioactive compounds, including tocopherols (3483–3809 mg/kg), carotenoids (1664–2049 mg/kg), and phospholipids (24.6–62.2%), which contribute to their health-promoting properties. In the Phaseolus vulgaris accessions, the oil was primarily composed of linolenic (n-3) and linoleic acids (n-6), followed by palmitic and oleic acids, whereas in the Phaseolus coccineus accession, linoleic acid (n-6) predominated, followed by linolenic (n-3) acid. β-Sitosterol was the major sterol, followed by stigmasterol, while the tocopherol fraction was mainly composed of γ-tocopherol (88.2–95.0%), with δ-tocopherol as a secondary component. Phosphatidylcholine was the predominant phospholipid, accounting for 33.1–51.7%. These findings underscore the potential of Bulgarian bean landraces as functional ingredients in health-oriented food products due to their balanced nutritional profile and presence of bioactive lipids.