Chemical Characterization of Monocultivar Sari Ulak Tarsus Olive and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Turkan Mutlu Keceli and Seyfullah Cengiz
The University of Cukurova, Faculty of Agriculture
Department of Food Engineering 01330 Saricam-Adana, Turkey

The consumption of olive and olive oil is increasing with the notification in healthy life and nutrition concepts in recent years. Investigating the relationships between agronomic/processing variables and chemical/sensory characteristics  would be helpful in managing factors marking the perceived quality of extra-virgin olive oils. In this work chemical properties of mono cultivar (Sari Ulak Tarsus) olives and extra-virgin olive oils from Tarsus (Turkey) were investigated. Three harvesting times were considered at year 2011 and 2012. Sarı Ulak Tarsus olive oils were obtained by mechanical extraction in an olive oil mill with two-phase centrifugation systems (Adana). The result also showed that ripening index, pomological properties and total phenol content were different (p<0.05) but oil yield and antioxidant activity did not change in 2011 and 2012. The acidity, peroxide values and total phenol content of Sarı Ulak olive oils were similar but specific absorbance values at 232 and 270 nm, chlorophyl and carotenoid, tocopherol, bitter index and  antioxidant activity were different at both 2011 and 2012. Oxidative stability of early harvest (1 and 2 nd harvest olive oils) and thermal stability of 1 st harvest Sarı Ulak olive oils were better than other harvest times (p≤0.05). Sarı Ulak Tarsus olive oils obtained at three different harvest times fell in virgin olive oil classes according to Regulations for Olive and Olive Pomace oil (Communication No: 2010/35) in both years.

Grant ZF2011BAP16, 2011-2013, from the University of Cukurova (Adana,Turkey) is gratefully acknowledged.