Classification of monovarietal Sardinian Extra Virgin Olive Oils by 1H NMR Metabolomic

Abstract

The chemical composition affects the sensory properties and quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). In addition, its knowledge can supply valuable information about the cultivar and its geographical origin. The goal of this study is to obtain a protocol in order to be able to recognize the composition of various Sardinian oils and to consequently correlate them with their production areas. High-resolution ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to analyse 100 (82 training + 18 test sets) samples of EVOO from the Bosana cultivar, collected from different growing areas in Sardinia (Italy). Growth areas were classified on the basis of FAO-UNEP aridity index. NMR data were processed with multivariate statistical analysis. NMR profiling presented a connection between environmental factors of Sardinian cultivation areas and the chemical composition of EVOO. An NMR-based metabolomic approach that used six "one-to-one" OPLS-DA models allowed us to discriminate the different influence of evapotranspiration, solar exposure and altitude on the chemical composition of Bosana EVOO.

Practical applications: Detailed knowledge of NMR spectra pattern variations could have a potential impact on olive oil market. The application of the ¹H NMR metabolomic, based on chemometric models, can be a useful tool in order to certificate the geographical origin of EVOO.

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