García-Pizarro Ángel, Romero Agustí, Schorn-García Daniel, Ezenarro Jokin, Mestres Montserrat, Aceña Laura
Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, Chemosens Research Group, Campus Sescelades, Edifici N4, C/Marcel⋅lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
Fruit Production Program, IRTA Mas Bové, Ctra. Reus-El Morell Km. 3.8, Constantí, 43120 Tarragona, Spain.
Foods. 2025 Apr 17;14(8):1390. doi: 10.3390/foods14081390.
Sensory analysis is a fundamental tool in evaluating extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) quality, playing an essential role in both consumer markets and international competitions that recognize and promote high-quality olive oils. Among the key attributes assessed, the fruitiness descriptor-subcategorized as green or ripe-is particularly significant, especially considering that higher green fruitiness is often associated with greater prestige. However, a clear methodological approach to distinguish between green fruitiness and ripe fruitiness perceptions, particularly in their overlapping zone, is still lacking. This study aims to establish precise criteria for defining these boundaries by analyzing monovarietal EVOOs produced from nine olive varieties at three maturity stages over two consecutive harvest seasons (2021/2022 and 2022/2023). Sensory assessments were conducted by the Official Tasting Panel of Virgin Olive Oils of Catalunya, ensuring representativeness across the different fruitiness perceptions. Volatile compounds of the samples were extracted using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS/SPME) and separated and identified via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Multivariate analysis revealed three distinct volatile profiles corresponding to different sensory perceptions. These findings suggest that incorporating an intermediate sensory attribute between green fruitiness and ripe fruitiness could improve classification accuracy in both competitions and premium markets, enhancing the appreciation and valuation of high-quality EVOOs.
感官分析是评估特级初榨橄榄油（EVOO）品质的一项基本工具，在认可并推广高品质橄榄油的消费市场和国际竞赛中都发挥着至关重要的作用。在评估的关键属性中，被细分为绿色或成熟果香的果香描述符尤为重要，特别是考虑到较高的绿色果香通常与更高的声誉相关。然而，目前仍缺乏一种明确的方法来区分绿色果香和成熟果香的感知，尤其是在它们的重叠区域。本研究旨在通过分析在两个连续收获季节（2021/2022和2022/2023）三个成熟阶段从九个橄榄品种生产的单一品种EVOO来确定定义这些界限的精确标准。感官评估由加泰罗尼亚初榨橄榄油官方品鉴小组进行，以确保涵盖不同果香感知的代表性。样品的挥发性化合物采用顶空固相微萃取（HS/SPME）提取，并通过气相色谱 - 质谱联用（GC/MS）进行分离和鉴定。多变量分析揭示了对应于不同感官感知的三种不同挥发性特征。这些发现表明，在绿色果香和成熟果香之间纳入一种中间感官属性可以提高竞赛和高端市场中的分类准确性，增强对高品质EVOO的欣赏和估值。
