Evaluation of Chemical Characteristics of Extra Virgin Olive Oils Extracted from Three Monovarieties of Mari, Arbequina and Koroneiki in Fadak and Gilvan Regions

Olive oil in general due to it monounsaturation, stability, nutritive value, consistency, taste andaroma might be considered as a valuable and luxury oil. Annual importation of olive oil to Iran fromMediterranean countries is on a large scale although some olive oils are produced in Iran particularly in the northand some plantation has been applied in different provinces particularly in Fars. The value of this luxury oileither imported or produced internally provides a ground for adulteration. The aim of this work is to evaluate thechemical characteristics of three varieties (Mari, Arbequina, Koroneiki) of olive oils from two regions (Fadakand Gilvan).Three varieties of olive fruit in two regions were selected and the extracted oils were subjected to aseries of chemical tests consisting of acid value, peroxide value, Iodine value, fatty acid profile as well asphenolic content and sterol composition. The results indicated that all of the samples in terms of acid andperoxide values were consistent with the values defined for extra virgin olive oil. The fatty acid compositionindicated that oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid ranging from 56 to 77% of the total fatty acids indicatingthe Italian and Spanish origins. The analysis of sterol fraction showed that <-sitosterol was the major and thepredominant sterol (88%). The phenolic concentration in this study was 100-250 mg/kg as gallic acid. The studyillustrated that the investigated samples were in agreement with the standard of CODEX and the Iranian nationalstandard in spite of differences obtained.