Shelf-life of extra virgin olive oils with lemon and orange

The shelf-life of “Peranzana” extra virgin olive oils flavoured with lemon and orange, was investigated over a 6 months storage period. Gourmet olive oils were prepared according to two different techniques: 1) olives milled together with each fresh citrus fruit, followed by the oil extraction, by using a three-phase system (industrial method); 2) preparation of flavoured oil by infusion (handling method). The following quality indices were monitored during storage: acidity, peroxide value, K232 and K270 indices, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA) and volatile compounds (VC). Flavoured oils prepared by infusion were slightly more oxidised than the control, after the six months storage, particularly the orange oil. TPC in all samples decreased during storage, due to their high reactivity. The AA values of the flavoured oils, after an initial increase, were found to be similar to the control. The flavouring of extra virgin olive oils with lemon and orange, which leads to a great increase in volatile compounds, may be particularly appreciated by consumers, although it have a shorter shelf life.