Characterization of virgin olive oil from Super Intensive Spanish and Greek varieties grown in northern Tunisia

The aim of this study was to evaluate minor components (phenolic compounds, alpha-tocopherols and pigments), fatty acid contents and oxidative stability of virgin olive oil of Spanish cultivars: Arbequina, Arbequina 1-18 and Arbosana and Greek cultivar: Koroneiki grown in Northern Tunisia under irrigated high-density plantation system. Thus, in order to have better knowledge about the quali-quantitative profiles of these components in samples obtained from the same collecting seasons and the same processing techniques. Fourteen phenolic compounds were detected and quantified by SPE RP-HPLC. Dialdehydic form of elenolic acid linked to tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein and ligstroside aglycones were the main components in all samples. Pinoresinol was the most abundant component in lignan fraction. These phenolic compounds, alpha-tocopherols, total phenols and o-diphenols showed significant correlations with oxidative stability. Furthermore, the majority of the studied analytical parameters were greatly influenced by the cultivar-environment interaction. In fact, significant differences between the studied oils were detected. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.