GRASAS Y ACEITES, 60 (5), OCTUBRE-DICIEMBRE, 498-506, 2009, ISSN: 0017-3495 DOI: 10.3989/gya.021109 Oil fatty acid composition of eighteen Mediterranean olive varieties cultivated under the arid conditions of Boughrara (southern Tunisia) By Wissem Zarrouk,a Bechir Baccouri,a Wael Taamalli,a Ahmed Trigui,b Douja Daouda and Mokhtar Zarrouka* a Laboratoire Caractérisation et Qualité de l’Huile d’Olive, Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cedria, BP 901, 2050 Hammam-Lif, Tunisia. b Institut de l’Olivier, BP 263, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia. (*Corresponding author: e-mail:
[email protected]) RESUMEN three main groups. The first group included a subgroup which is composed of seven olive varieties (Cornezuelo, Ver- Composición de ácidos grasos de dieciocho varieda- dial de Vélez-Málaga, Leccino, Coratina, Koroneiki, Lechín des de aceituna mediterráneas cultivadas en las condi- de Granada and Changlot Real) characterized by high oil ciones áridas de Boughrara (zona meridional de Túnez). yield with high oleic, low palmitic and linoleic acid contents. The fatty acid compositions of the oils from these varieties En este estudio, dieciocho variedades de aceituna pro- comply with international standards and show more benefi- cedentes de España, de Francia, de Italia, de Grecia y de Ar- cial characteristics than the oil obtained from Chemlali: the gelia, cultivadas en la estación experimental del olivo de most abundant olive cultivar in Tunisia. Finally, the main fatty Boughrara (región árida de Túnez), fueron evaluadas para el acids (palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2)) of rendimiento en aceite y la composición de ácidos grasos.