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New Technology Improves Olive Oil Quality
Thursday, December 10, 2020Italian scientists have found that under certain conditions the polyphenol content of the extra virgin olive oil can be increased up to 48 percent when using the high vacuum-assisted extraction technologies. Researcher Gianluca Veneziani and his team at University of Perugia observed an increase in the phenolic compounds that varied approximately between 20 and 48 percent and while also reducing content of volatile compounds, which are responsible for creating flavor defects in olive oils. Elevated levels of polyphenols are generally associated with high-quality extra virgin olive oil. The research was published in the journal Food Chemistry.
The study used three different cultivars Moraiolo, Coratina and Peranzana and showed different results for each one of the cultivars which varied approximately between 20 and 48 percent. The other goal of the study was to observe the impact of the high vacuum-assisted extraction technologies on the content of volatile compounds, a crucial aspect of the research due to the impact of these compounds on the flavor and quality of extra virgin olive oil. The researchers found that lower temperatures during malaxation led to a lowered stripping efficiency in the extracting process. This means that the compounds responsible for negatively affecting the flavor of the extra virgin olive oil decreased as a function of lower operating temperatures.
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