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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Physicochemical Profiling of Olive Oil as Affected
by Variety and Maturity: Relevance
to Climate Adaptation Strategies
1
Drylands and Oases Cropping Laboratory LACO, Institute of Arid Lands of Medenine (IRA),
Sreet El Djorf 22.5 km 4119 Medenine, Tunisia
2
Unit of Technology and quality, Institute of Olive, BP 1087, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia
Submission date: 2025-02-11
Final revision date: 2025-04-21
Acceptance date: 2025-06-12
Online publication date: 2025-09-15
Corresponding author
Sihem Ben Ali
Drylands and Oases Cropping Laboratory LACO, Institute of Arid Lands of Medenine (IRA), Sreet El Djorf 22.5 km 4119 Medenine, Tunisia
Drylands and Oases Cropping Laboratory LACO, Institute of Arid Lands of Medenine (IRA), Sreet El Djorf 22.5 km 4119 Medenine, Tunisia
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Olive oil quality is shaped by genetic factors, environmental conditions, and the fruit’s maturation
stage. This study evaluated the chemical composition and quality of virgin olive oils obtained from
two principal Tunisian olive varieties: Chemlali Sfax from central Tunisia and Chetoui from the north.
The results indicate that olive oil characteristics are impacted by both cultivar and fruit maturity
stages. In both varieties, total oil content and fatty acid composition were assessed at different ripening
stages, with oil content reaching up to 30% of fresh weight at full ripeness. During maturation, the free
acidity increased from 0.2% to 0.4%, and linoleic acid content rose by approximately 15%, especially in
both varieties’ later ripening stages. The fatty acid profile revealed higher oleic acid levels in Chetoui
(up to 68%) compared to Chemlali Sfax (60%). Antioxidant content, such as carotens, decreased
from 6.79 to 2.34 for the Chetoui variety and 7.83 to 5.53. The Chemlali Sfax variety and its related
parameters, such as phenols and pigments (chlorophyll), tended to decline with fruit ripening, resulting
in distinct compositional profiles that can serve as varietal and maturity indicators.
These findings underline the importance of cultivar selection and harvest timing in optimizing olive oil quality and resilience to changing environmental conditions.
These findings underline the importance of cultivar selection and harvest timing in optimizing olive oil quality and resilience to changing environmental conditions.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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