Co-milling of sound olives with fresh chili peppers improves the volatile compound, capsaicinoid and sensory profiles of flavoured olive oil with respect to the typical infusion

In the context of the olive oil flavoured with chili peppers, the aim of this study was to compare co-milling of sound olives and fresh chili peppers at mill scale to infusion of dried chili peppers in oil, using the same batch of olives for all oils. Capsaicinoids by HPLC-DAD, volatile profile by HS-SPME-GC-MS and HS-GC-IMS and sensory profile were characterized. Capsaicinoids were statistically higher in oils prepared with green (52.0-68.0 mg/kg) than red (48.0-60.2 mg/kg) chili peppers. Oils flavoured by infusion showed higher contents of volatile compounds linked to defects such as acetic acid, with winey/vinegary sensory defect (median, 1.72-2.02) and no fresh pepper flavour. Oils prepared by co-milling resulted rich in the typical esters of chili pepper (6.175 and 4.156 mg/kg with green and red chili peppers, respectively), with pleasant hotness sensation and fresh pepper flavour. Overall, the co-milling approach allowed obtaining flavoured samples with improved sensory quality.

Automated summary

This study aimed to compare different methods of preparing chili-flavored olive oil. It was found that co-milling resulted in higher levels of capsaicinoids, while infusion resulted in higher levels of volatile compounds associated with defects and no fresh pepper flavor. Oils prepared by co-milling had better sensory quality, including pleasant hotness sensation and fresh pepper flavor.