Olive oil extractability index as a parameter for olive cultivar characterisation

Extractability, when applied to the olive oil extraction process is defined as the percentage of oil extracted from the total oil content of the fruit. In this work, extractability index (EI), a new parameter determined in a laboratory oil mill, has been studied for 24 olive (Olea europaea L) cultivars from the Olive Germplasm Bank Collection of Mengibar (Spain). In order to evaluate the genetic variability of this new parameter, the influence of cultivar and tree on EI variability has been analysed in olive fruits collected at the same ripening index. The results indicate that cultivar is the most important variation source. Thus olive oil extractability depends on extraction process variables and cultivar. Extractability index could be used together with pulp oil content (on a dry matter basis) as a parameter for olive cultivar characterisation and selection for breeding projects. (C) 2003 Society of Chemical Industry.