Flavouring and fortifying virgin olive oils is an increasing commercial trend, aiming to meet new consumers’ preferences and provide new differentiated products. These practices usually positively impact the oils’ sensory profile and chemical composition, increasing their natural richness on bioactive compounds. However, some negative effects have also been reported. This review provides a summary of…
Spices, condiments and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are crucial components of human history and nutrition. They are substances added to foods to improve flavor and taste. Many of them are used not only to flavor foods, but also in traditional medicine and cosmetics. They have antioxidant, antiviral, antibiotic, anticoagulant and antiinflammatory properties and exciting…
Essential oils (EOs) from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are well-known as natural antioxidants. Their addition to extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) can contribute to reducing fat oxidation. The main aim of this study was to improve both food shelf-life and aromatic flavour of EVOO, adding different EOs of Sicilian accessions of common sage, oregano, rosemary…
Olive co-processing consists of the addition of ingredients either in the mill or in the malaxator. This technique allows selecting the type of olives, the ingredients with the greatest flavoring and bioactive potential, and the technological extraction conditions. A new product—a gourmet flavored oil—was developed by co-processing olives with Thymus mastichina L. The trials were…
After more than four months of hot and dry weather in much of Greece, olive farmers and olive oil producers cite rain as the most critical factor for a substantial olive oil crop in the country in the coming 2024/25 crop year. “The drought has hit olive farming throughout the Mediterranean,” said Yiorgos Kokkinos, the president…
The current effects of climate change are characterised by long periods of high temperatures and sudden, short periods of heavy rain but overall reduced annual rainfall. These effects are having a severe impact in all areas of agriculture. On Lesvos, as well as in other areas of the Mediterranean region, this impact is particularly evident…