Impact of edaphoclimatic conditions and crop season on olive oil's fatty acids

Abstract

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) fruit oil attracts widespread interest because of its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids. However, a neglected area in the field is the edaphoclimatic factors impact, which is poorly understood. Bearing this in mind, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of the edaphoclimatic conditions on the fatty acids’ composition. Therefore, we have investigated the fatty acids methyl ester (FAME) profile in 38 monovarietal Moroccan ‘Picholine Marocaine’ extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from two successive crop years (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). Significant differences were detected in olive oils from distinct geographical origins with about 10 and 4% of the difference in oleic and palmitic acid amounts in both seasons; however, linoleic acid showed 5 and 8% in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 oils, respectively. Furthermore, regions of high altitude and low temperature resulted in olive oils rich in oleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). This study also revealed the negative impact of rainfall, sand percentage, and nitrogen on saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and of pH and conductivity on the major MUFAs.