Characterization of virgin olive oil from Leucocarpa cultivar by chemical and DNA analysis

Leucocarpa is an olive cultivar characterized by small fruits which assume a peculiar ivory-white color when ripe. The aim of this research was to characterize its oil by analyzing some chemical parameters as well as DNA microsatellites. Monovarietal Leucocarpa oils, produced under controlled conditions, were compared for two consecutive years to oils derived from Coratina, an olive cultivar very diffused in Italy. Both the cultivars were grown in the same field. The values of phenolic compounds observed in Leucocarpa oils were quite low and corresponded to those usually found in sweet tasting oils. Also levels of pigments appeared to be low compared to Coratina monovarietal oils. Microsatellite analysis were carried out by using 11 primer pairs and Leucocarpa oils were compared to six monovarietal oils from cultivars diffused in Southern Italy. The primer pairs lead to 213 amplified fragments, with a mean of 7 different alleles per primer, and a power of discrimination ranging from 0.49 to 0.91. A single microsatellite, GAPU103A, was sufficient to distinguish Leucocarpa oil from the other samples. An identification key based on the amplification profile of this microsatellite was set up to distinguish the oils from different cultivars. The assessed DNA microsatellite profile, independent from environmental conditions, could be helpful to verify the authenticity of Leucocarpa oil samples. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.