An examination into the effects of frozen storage of olive fruit on extracted olive oils

Abstract

This study was achieved to examine the effects of freezing olive fruits of the Arbequina, Koroneiki and Mission cultivars (the most common olive oil producing cultivars in Iran) on the standard indices used for assessing virgin olive oil quality. Oil was obtained from olive fruits stored at -4˚C for 1 week and 3 weeks, and compared with oil obtained immediately after harvest (control). The quality indices of oils obtained from frozen fruit showed no significant degradation in quality compared with the control samples. In fact the peroxide value of the frozen fruits decreased compared to the control, which is considered to have a positive effect on oil quality. In addition, compositions of the main fatty acids are not altered by freezing which demonstrate frozen storage as a viable option. Oil derived from frozen olive fruit is not of inferior quality to non-frozen fruit in the production of olive oil.