Comparative Study on the Behavior of Olive Cultivars from Different Origins Cultivated in the Same Environment, with Regard to Some Important Characteristics of the Olive Oil Produced

The comparative study of experimental data, obtained from olive plants of different origins cultivated in the same pedoclimatic conditions and identical cultivation practices, allowed to attribute the different characteristics found exclusively to the plants' genotype or to their different adaptability to an environment other than their original one. The aim of this work was to compare some characteristics of the olive oil produced from 10 cultivars, originated from different regions and cultivated, in number of 4-5 plants for each cultivar, within the Gene Bank Collection of CRA OLI in Cosenza (Italy), located by the Calabrian Ionic coastline, latitude 39 degrees 37' north. The following cultivars were examined: 'Arbequina' (Cataluna, Spain), 'Carolea' (Calabria, Italy), 'Coratina' (Puglia, Italy), 'Frantoio' (Toscana, Italy), 'Kalamata' (Messinia and Lakonia, Greece), 'Koroneiki' (Kriti, Peloponissos etc., Greece), 'Ogliarola messinese' (Sicilia, Italy), 'Picholine' (Languedoc and Provence, France), 'Picual' (Andalucia, Spain), 'Tonda di Cagliari' (Sardegna, Italy). From these cultivars the study tested and compared the following parameters: the oil yield, the acidic composition (reported as percentage and with the different ratio) and, with regard to the fraction not subject to saponification, the antioxidants content, paying particular attention to tocopherols, relevant for their known health benefits and yet still neglected. The olives samples from the different cultivars, tested for oil content and used for the production of oil samples for the study tests, were harvested at a defined stage of turning color. The determination of all parameters was repeated for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007). The study attained the following results: the oil content resulted high for all cultivars, the highest for 'Picual' and 'Ogliarola messinese'; the highest monounsaturated fatty acid percentage was found for 'Ogliarola messinese' and 'Coratina'; the highest content in antioxidants was found for 'Picholine'. The genotypic variability for the examined characters has turned out remarkable.