Effect of the Harvesting Time on the Quality of Olive Oils Produced in Calabria.

The aim of this work is to evidence the quality of four monovarietal olive oils(Carolea, Grossa di Gerace, Ottobratica, and Sinopolese cv) produced at two crop years and at different harvesting times in Calabria region, located in the South of Italy. Qualitative parameters of oils are evaluated by analysis ofmajor and minor components, in particular: free acidity, peroxide value, fatty acid composition, sterol composition, total polar phenolic compounds andtocopherols, and total pigments. The total antioxidant activity of olive oils is evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Two variables are evaluated in the statistical data elaboration: the cultivar and the harvesting time. Their effect is studied on the chemical parameters and antioxidant components. Theharvesting at October and November did not reduce the quality of two monovarietal olive oils (Carolea and Sinopolese) produced in Calabria, whereas Ottobratica and Grossa di Gerace olive oils produced at Novemberhave a lower quality. However, a reduction of qualitative parameters is observed in extra virgin olive oils produced from lately harvested olives with some differences among cultivars.Practical Applications: Practical application for the study entitled “Effect ofthe harvesting time on the quality of olive oils produced in Calabria” regardsthe study of chemical composition on olive oils produced under a controlledexperimental procedure. Varietal characteristics and environmental variablesaffect in general the quality of the olive productions and the obtained olive oils. The results of this work show that the considered harvesting times did not involve a decay of quality on Carolea and Sinopolese olive oils producedin the South of Italy, obtained following right processing procedures.