Effect of cultivar and harvest time on C6 and C5 volatile compounds of Turkish olive oils

Aroma is an important quality criterion for extra virgin olive oil. The goal of this study was to determine C-6 and C-5 volatile compounds in different Turkish olive oils. Two factors namely (1) olive cultivar including Ayvalik, Memecik, and Topakasi, and (2) harvest time (ripening degree) were studied. Both factors significantly affected the volatile profiles of the studied oils. Headspace solid phase micro-extraction with GC/MS was used to detect volatiles in different olive oils. The detected volatile compounds included up to 11 compounds (4 from C-5, and 7 from C-6). Hexanal and (E)-2-hexanal were predominated as the major volatiles in Ayvalik, and Memecik oils, while pentanal, and hexanal were predominated in Topakasi oil. Topakasi oil was also characterized by its low content of (E)-2-hexenal. The only clear trend observed during ripening of olives was the increase in the total content of esters. Therefore, the information obtained in this study is useful in selecting the proper harvest time for each cultivar according to the desired volatile compounds found in the oil.