Differences in Hydrocarbons of Virgin Olive Oils Obtained from Several Olive Varieties

An analytical method has been developed to study, as a whole, the hydrocarbon fractionother than squaleneof virgin olive oils. This method was applied to the study of oils from representative olive varieties of Spanish olive groves: Arbequina, Cornicabra, Empeltre, Hojiblanca, and Picual. The composition profiles of some of the hydrocarbons of oils from the above mentioned varieties are shown in this paper. The ranges of concentration in milligram per kilogram of oil of these hydrocarbons are also shown. Significant differences in the content of some hydrocarbons of the five varieties analyzed were observed. These quantitative differences were used to distinguish between virgin olive oils from different olive varieties. Keywords: Virgin olive oil; hydrocarbons; olive varieties