Oil quality analyses of four autochthon Tunisian olive varieties cultivated in the mountain of Kesra

Abstract Kesra is a mountainous region characterized by an important olive biodiversity with high oil quality but little is known about this olive germplasm. The aim of this work is to analyze the oil quality of the most predominant varieties ‘Chétoui', ‘El hor' ‘Sradki' and ‘Ouesleti' cultivated in this region. The most of the quality indices and fatty acid composition showed significant variations among the studied olive cultivars. Olive oil content is high for the four cultivars, especially for the variety ‘Sradki' with approximately 67%. The cultivars ‘El Hor' and ‘Sradki' had the highest values of oleic acid (72.8% and 74.8%, respectively). While the varieties ‘Oueslati' present the highest content of chlorophyll and carotenoid compounds. The cultivar ‘Sradki' was also noteworthy for its higher content of phenolic compounds (720 mg kg-1). In conclusion, the oil quality of the different studied cultivars is classified as extra-virgin oils with high oleic acids and low palmitic and linolenic acids. These findings were of interest to protect the specimens studied cultivars, which can be used from the agronomic point of view to substantially improve the production of olive oil in the mountain of Kesra.