Oil Content and Fatty Acid Profile of Spanish Cultivars During Olive Fruit Ripening

The oils produced from five olive cultivars (i.e. arbequina, gordal, manzanilla, picual and picudo) and the evolution of fatty acid profile during olive fruit ripening were studied. The total oil content increased throughout ripening for Picudo cultivars; however, all other cultivars reached maximum oil contents between ripeness stage 2 and 4. The content of trans (0.3–5.8%), saturated (8.3–21.4%), monounsaturated (41.9–84.1%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.3–49.7%) varied with the ripeness state and cultivar. Different trends of the different parameters were found as a function of the ripeness state and the cultivar. Statistical analysis reveal that manzanilla drupes, at the different ripeness states, are clearly different from the rest of the cultivars. In addition, there were no significant differences in the fatty acid profile of the oils obtained from drupes at ripeness states between 2 and 4.