Characterization of the oils from seven Tunisian olive tree varieties

There ore a lot of varieties in Tunisian olive plantations. However, no studies on the biochemical valuation of such varieties have been carried out until now So, the aim of the present work is to proceed to the varietal characterization of oils from seven Tunisian varieties. To assess the chemical composition of these oils, we have considered the following in this first study: fatty acid composition and triacylglycerol molecular species. Such varietal characterization may contribute to improve the quality of our olive oils by identifying and choosing those varieties that yield oils whose chemical composition meets the requirements of the international market in terms of commercial standards and norms. Results confirm that the oil content of olives as well as the fatty acid composition or triacylglycerols molecular species are tightly linked to the type of cultivar Among the varieties studied, Sayali and Chemchali cultivars are characterized by a high oil content (more than 50% with regards to the dry weight). Moreover, these two varieties contain the highest levels of oleic acid, 82 and 71% respectively, and the lowest levels of linoleic acid, 4 and 10916 respectively. They also contain, as G consequence, the lowest levels of trilinolein (LLL), i.e. 0.05 and 0.19% respectively. So, oils from these two cultivars may be used in mixing operations to improve the chemical composition of oils from other varieties.