Influence of genetic and interannual factors on the fatty acids profile of virgin olive oil

[Display omitted] •The cultivar was the main factor explaining the variability in fatty acids.•Cultivar × crop season interaction demonstrated a great influence on variability.•The content of MUFAs reported a contrary pattern respect to SFA/PUFAs contents.•Climate conditions have influence in the VOO profile of fatty acids.•High MUFAs content was associated with a high accumulated precipitation. Among olive oil nutritional benefits, it is worth mentioning its fatty acids composition with predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). We have evaluated the influence of the cultivar and interannual factors on the fatty acids profile of virgin olive oil samples obtained from 45 and 71 cultivars along three and two consecutive crop seasons, respectively. The cultivars were classified in two groups according to the fatty acids composition: (1) high content in MUFAs and moderate content in saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (SFAs and PUFAs, respectively) and (2) moderate content in MUFAs and high content in SFAs/PUFAs. We also observed variations in the fatty acids content with the climate conditions, which can significantly alter the saturated and unsaturated profiles. Thus, a significant decrease in MUFAs and an increase in SFAs/PUFAs concentrations was found when the precipitation accumulated within the June-October period was reduced.