Advances in Research on Olive Oil Quality, Production, and Consumption: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 3519

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Nutrition, Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Karla Huguesa 8, 52440 Poreč, Croatia
Interests: sensory analysis; virgin olive oil quality, composition and authenticity; olive oil production and storage technology; volatile compounds; phenolic compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture and Nutrition, Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Karla Huguesa 8, HR-52440 Poreč, Croatia
Interests: olive oil; wine and food chemistry; production technology; quality; volatile compounds; phenols; proteins; instrumental analysis; gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Food Technology and Control, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, HR-51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: olive oil processing technology; olive oil quality and authenticity; volatile compounds; phenolic compounds; bioactive compounds; sensory characteristics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, there is a growing interest in food rich in nutrients that is able to improve human health while having pleasant sensory attributes. Virgin olive oil (VOO), obtained exclusively via mechanical and physical processes from olive fruits, has high nutritional value and unique sensory characteristics due to its specific composition (monounsaturated oleic fatty acid and bioactive compounds such as phenols). In order to preserve all of the benefits of VOO, it is important to preserve its composition and pleasant sensory characteristics during production, storage, domestic processing, and consumption.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research papers and comprehensive reviews related to VOO, with special emphasis on factors affecting its quality, nutritional value, and sensory characteristics, as well as on changes occurring during domestic processing and consumption. Strategies and innovative processing technologies to improve the quality and composition; recent advancements in techniques for VOO quality and authenticity analysis, are also welcomed.

Dr. Karolina Brkić Bubola
Dr. Igor Lukić
Prof. Dr. Olivera Koprivnjak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • olive oil
  • olive oil production technology
  • olive oil quality
  • olive oil composition
  • olive oil authenticity
  • bioactive constituents
  • volatile compounds
  • sensory characteristics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1609 KiB  
Article
Phenolic Metabolism Explains Bitterness and Pungency of Extra Virgin Olive Oils
by Sonia Tomé-Rodríguez, Francisco Barba-Palomeque, Mónica Calderón-Santiago, José María Penco-Valenzuela and Feliciano Priego-Capote
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1620; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091620 - 3 May 2025
Viewed by 143
Abstract
Organoleptic features allow extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to be distinguished from other commercial categories and to determine consumer preferences. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the phenolic content on the intensity of two characteristic attributes, namely, bitterness and pungency. The [...] Read more.
Organoleptic features allow extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to be distinguished from other commercial categories and to determine consumer preferences. In this study, we evaluated the influence of the phenolic content on the intensity of two characteristic attributes, namely, bitterness and pungency. The organoleptic analysis was carried out by a panel of trained tasters, who categorized a set of 200 EVOO samples produced in two consecutive crop seasons into three intensity levels (“Delicate”, “Medium”, and “Robust”) according to current regulations. The total phenolic content was correlated with the intensity of both attributes, but a different contribution was identified for individual phenols. For bitterness, aglycone isomers of oleuropein and ligstroside provided over 70% discrimination power (estimated by receiver operating characteristic analysis), while oleocanthal and oleacein were associated with a decrease in bitterness intensity. In addition, the intensity of pungency intensity was related to the content of oleocanthal, oleomissional, and oleokoronal, as they allowed the classification of about 75% of the “Robust” pungency EVOOs. With these premises, it is possible to obtain olive oils with the desired intensity of bitterness and pungency by controlling the factors that influence phenolic metabolism. Full article
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29 pages, 1468 KiB  
Article
Improving the Biostability of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Olive Fruit Extract During Prolonged Deep Frying
by Taha Mehany, José M. González-Sáiz and Consuelo Pizarro
Foods 2025, 14(2), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020260 - 15 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1312
Abstract
This study explores approaches to enhancing the biostability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) supplemented with olive fruit extract (OFE) enriched with hydroxytyrosol (HTyr). The investigation focuses on prolonged deep frying (DF) conditions at 170 °C and 210 °C, over durations ranging from [...] Read more.
This study explores approaches to enhancing the biostability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) supplemented with olive fruit extract (OFE) enriched with hydroxytyrosol (HTyr). The investigation focuses on prolonged deep frying (DF) conditions at 170 °C and 210 °C, over durations ranging from 3 to 48 h, with the aim of improving sensorial attributes, polyphenolic content, and thermal oxidative stability. Parameters, such as acidity, peroxide value (PV), K232, K270, ΔK, phenolic compounds, and sensory attributes, were monitored. The PV did not exceed the standard limit in HTyr-EVOO at 210 °C/24 h; however, in non-supplemented EVOOs, it remained within the limits only up to 210 °C/18 h. Acidity stayed within the acceptable limit (≤0.8) at 170 °C/24 h in both enriched and non-enriched EVOOs. K232 values were ≤2.5 in HTyr-EVOO fried at 170 °C/18 h. K270 and ΔK did not exceed the limits in HTyr-EVOO at 170 °C/3 h, whereas they surpassed them in non-supplemented oils. Additionally, HTyr and tyrosol levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in HTyr-EVOOs. Phenolic compounds, including verbascoside, pinoresinol, 1-acetoxypinoresinol, and phenolic acids, such as chlorogenic, vanillic, homovanillic, 4-dihydroxybenzoic, and caffeic acids, were detected in HTyr-EVOOs. Oxidized secoiridoid derivatives increased significantly as DF progressed. Moreover, sensory analysis revealed that positive attributes in EVOOs—such as fruity, bitter, and pungent notes—decreased significantly with increasing temperature and frying duration (p < 0.05). Beyond 210 °C/6 h, these attributes were rated at zero. However, HTyr-EVOOs exhibited lower rancidity compared to non-enriched oils under identical conditions, attributed to the protective effect of HTyr. In conclusion, HTyr-EVOOs demonstrated thermal stability up to 210 °C/6 h, retaining desirable sensory qualities, higher phenolic content, and reduced degradation. These findings indicate that natural OFEs have strong potential as food additive in deep fried EVOOs, enhancing sensory properties, health benefits, and overall oil stability. This innovation provides a practical solution for the food industry by improving the biostability and versatility of EVOO. Further research is recommended to investigate various EVOO categories and oils from diverse origins. Full article
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17 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Looking for Typical Traits in Monovarietal VOOs According to Their Phenolic Composition
by Maria Giovanna Molinu, Pierfrancesco Deiana, Sandro Dettori, Luca Mercenaro, Giovanni Nieddu, Antonio Dore, Nicola Culeddu and Mario Santona
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3425; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213425 - 27 Oct 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
Due to its high sensitivity to numerous variability sources, it is hard to define the typicity of a monovarietal virgin olive oil (VOO) according to its phenolic profile. In this study, we aimed to identify the features of phenolic composition that are persistent [...] Read more.
Due to its high sensitivity to numerous variability sources, it is hard to define the typicity of a monovarietal virgin olive oil (VOO) according to its phenolic profile. In this study, we aimed to identify the features of phenolic composition that are persistent and minimally affected by variability sources, making them potential varietal markers. We separately analyzed three databases of monovarietal VOO phenolic compositions, determined by liquid chromatography, from three different cultivars. The first database was produced from the original data of the Bosana cultivar. The other two were obtained through a systematic analysis of scientific literature on Coratina and Frantoio cultivars. Several statistical tools, including coefficient of variability, correlations, and linear regression models, were used to find recurring proportions or ratios unaffected by variability sources suitable to define typical varietal traits. Some proportions between molecules, mostly within the same phenolic class, remain constant. Strong correlations between (i) flavonoids were observed in Bosana and Frantoio VOOs (R2 = 0.87 and 0.77, respectively), (ii) oleacein-oleocanthal (Bosana, R2 = 0.81) (iii) oleuropein aglycon-ligstroside aglycon (Frantoio, R2 = 0.88), and (iv) lignans (Coratina, R2 = 0.84). These traits could be useful tools for defining the typicity of monovarietal VOOs. Full article
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35 pages, 626 KiB  
Systematic Review
Bioactive Enrichment and Sustainable Processing of Vegetable Oils: New Frontiers in Agri-Food Technology
by Sandra Montoro-Alonso, Xavier Expósito-Almellón, Daniel Martínez-Baena, Joana Martínez-Martí, Ascensión Rueda-Robles, Raúl Pérez-Gálvez, Rosa Quirantes-Piné and Jesús Lozano-Sánchez
Foods 2025, 14(5), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050769 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 585
Abstract
Vegetable oils are highly valued for their nutritional and functional properties, driving scientific interest in developing innovative technologies to enhance production processes. These advancements aim to improve yield, nutritional profiles and organoleptic and functional characteristics. Additionally, vegetable oils have been recognised for their [...] Read more.
Vegetable oils are highly valued for their nutritional and functional properties, driving scientific interest in developing innovative technologies to enhance production processes. These advancements aim to improve yield, nutritional profiles and organoleptic and functional characteristics. Additionally, vegetable oils have been recognised for their ability to incorporate phenolics as bioactive compounds through stabilisation methods, further enhancing their health benefits. This study conducts a systematic review addressing two main objectives: (i) advanced technologies intended to enhance extraction efficiency while improving the overall quality of vegetable oils and (ii) stabilisation strategies developed to enrich and fortify edible vegetable oils with special focus on phenolic compounds. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was applied to evaluate their applications in developing bioactive vegetable oil ingredients and foods. Extraction techniques were assessed based on efficiency in yield and their impact on nutritional, organoleptic and functional properties. Pulsed electric field technology emerged as the most promising approach, offering an optimal balance between oil yield and quality. Combining stirring or high-performance dispersion with ultrasound proved effective in forming stable emulsions for phenolic stabilisation. These strategies provide valuable insights for the agro-industrial sector to enhance production processes and develop healthier, bioactive vegetable oils. Full article
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