1H-NMR Profiling Shows as Specific Constituents Strongly Affect the International EVOO Blends Characteristics: The Case of the Italian Oil

Considering the growing number of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) producers in the world, knowing the influence of olive oils with different geographical origins on the characteristics of the final blend becomes an interesting goal. The present work is focused on commercial organic EVOO blends obtained by mixing multiple oils from different geographical origins. These blends have been studied by H-1-NMR spectroscopy supported by multivariate statistical analysis. Specific characteristics of commercial organic EVOO blends originated by mixing oils from Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, and Greece were found to be associated with the increasing content of the Italian component. A linear progression of the metabolic profile defined characteristics for the analysed samples-up to a plateau level-was found in relation to the content of the main constituent of the Italian oil, the monocultivar Coratina. The Italian constituent percentage appears to be correlated with the fatty acids (oleic) and the polyphenols (tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and derivatives) content as major and minor components respectively. These results, which highlight important economic aspects, also show the utility of H-1-NMR associated with chemometric analysis as a powerful tool in this field. Mixing oils of different national origins, to obtain blends with specific characteristics, could be profitably controlled by this methodology.

Automated summary

The study found that specific characteristics of commercial organic EVOO blends are associated with the increasing content of the Italian component, particularly the monocultivar Coratina. The percentage of the Italian constituent is correlated with the fatty acids (oleic) and polyphenols (tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and derivatives) content. This highlights the potential economic implications and the utility of H-1-NMR coupled with chemometric analysis in controlling the blending of oils from different origins.