Avaliação da qualidade de azeites de oliva extra virgem monovarietais produzidos no Brasil

Abstract

Olive oils should replace vegetable oils in popular cuisine in the long term because oils have beneficial properties for human health and manage to maintain their properties when subjected to the cooking process. Olive growing grows exponentially in the country and production depends on many factors such as maturation index, altitude, latitude, soil composition, favorable climatic conditions, cultivation and production process. Given the increase in the production of extra virgin olive oils (higher quality), there was a significant increase in fraud during production according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. Thus, it is necessary to intensify research on the oils sold on the shelves in order to check for fraud and identify how each brand acts in terms of the quality of the oils when compared to the legal indexes. Thus, the present work verified the quality and composition of different monovarietal samples of extra virgin olive oils sold in Brazil, in accordance with NORMATIVE INSTRUCTION Nº 1, OF JANUARY 30, 2012, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Brazil (MAP). The samples were received from the campaign in Rio Grande do Sul – RS and from the company Epamig – MS of the varieties Arbosana-MG, ArbequinaMG, Koroneiki-MG, Gappolo-MG, Frantoio-RS, Picual-RS, Coratina-RS, ManzanillaRS, Koroneiki -RS and Arbequina-RS. Analyzes of the peroxide indices of the varieties pointed to an initial oxidation of the samples, so that only the Gappolo-MG sample was within the pre-established quality norms. As for the acidity index, it was found that only three samples are not within the quality limit established by MAPA. Regarding the composition of fatty acids, the samples in general showed good percentages of oleic acid (main constituent of vegetable oils) and palmitic acid. As for linoleic acid, the samples showed low percentages, but still within the quality standard. With the present work, it is possible to notice that the samples of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have good quality and are suitable for consumption, only showing signs of an initial oxidation that can be caused due to poor storage during storage or transfer.