Influence of cultivar and harvest year on triglyceride composition of olive oils produced in Calabria (Southern Italy)

Olive oils extracted from Italian cultivars in South West Calabria, Southern Italy were analyzed for theirtriglyceride composition, for three successive harvest years 2005‐2006‐2007. Three autochthonous cultivars from Calabria (Cassanese, Ottobratica and Sinopolese) and seven allochtonous cultivars (Coratina, Itrana, Leccino, Nocellara Messinese, Nociara, Pendolino and Picholine) were considered.All cultivars showed a trilinolein content ≤ 0.10% of the total triglycerides, the equivalent carbonnumber42 (ECN42) content was always less than 0.75% of the total triglycerides. Triolein ranged from a minimum of 28.60% ± 2.12 in Nocellara Messinese to a maximum of 48.25% ± 2.67 found in Coratina.This work demonstrates the presence of significant differences (ANOVA) for the different triglyceridecompounds present in these olive oils, taking into consideration the cultivar and the harvest year.