EFFECT OF THE PERIOD BETWEEN OLIVE HARVESTING AND OIL PRODUCTION ON THE QUALITY OF OLIVE OIL

Olive oil extracted from picual variety was physically and chemi­cally evaluated. Fatty acid composition, hydrocarbons and sterols con­tent, and stability were studied. The effect of time elapsed after fruit horvesting till pressing on the above mentioned properties of olive oil was also investigated. Results indicated that the values of refractive in­dex, iodine value total unsaturated fatty acids and the ratio of total un­saturated total saturated fatty acids were decreased in the oil samples extracted after storge compared to the fresh sample. More over perox­ide value, total saturated fatty acids were increased in the oil extracted from the stored sample. The period elapsed from fruit collecting till pressing affect the acidity where it increased sharply from 0.66 to 10.35. Also squalene rel­ative percentage was increased from 66.227 to 78.35. And 13 sitosterol was the major sterol.