Volatile profiles of Italian monocultivar EVOOs during 12 months of storage: different trends associated to polyphenols and fatty acids content

Aroma is one of the most important and the first to be perceived attribute of high-quality extravirgin olive oil (EVOO). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) derived from lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway are considered the most important and impacting for olive oil aroma. In a previous study we quantified such compounds in 130 monocultivar EVOOs from 67 genotypes belonging to a Tuscany germoplasm collection [1]. During the storage of EVOOs, the VOCs responsible for the pleasant flavour became less dominant and compounds responsible of negative sensory attributes may arise. The main chemical alteration of EVOO is due to oxidation that is influenced by storage conditions, such as temperature, light exposure, oxygen availability, and also by oil composition [2]. Even at optimal storage condition, auto-oxidation of fatty acids takes place further contributing to the modification of EVOO composition. For these reasons the aroma profile in EVOO is not stables but changes from the production until the consumption. The present study investigated the fate of VOCs in 60 monocultivar EVOOs after 6 and 12 months of storage and evaluated the possible influence on it of the initial polyphenol availability and the fatty acids compositions.