Determination of Aroma Profiles of Olive Oils from Turkish Olive Cultivars

This study analyzed volatile aromatic compounds present in the oils of Turkish olive cultivars. The cultivars Gemlik, Ayvalık, Memecik, Domat, Uslu, Halhalı, Kilis yağlık, Nizip yağlık, Haşebi and Karamani were harvested from important Turkish olive-growing locations, such as Balıkesir, Bursa, Manisa, Aydın, Muğla, İzmir, Kilis, Mersin, Hatay and Gaziantep during the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 growing seasons. Olive samples were collected in two harvest years, at almost the same maturity stage, and processed under the same conditions. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was used to analyze volatile aroma compounds in the olive oil samples. Forty-seven compounds were characterized and quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionization detector (GC–MS/FID). The most abundant identified compounds were trans-2-hexenal, hexanal and 3-methyl-1-butanol. The trans-2-hexenal, hexanal and 3-methyl-1-butanol contents of oil samples varied between 0.86–67.15, 3.93–61.82 and 0.48–84.74 %, respectively.