Pigment profile in non-Spanish olive varieties ( Olea europaea L. Var. Coratina, Frantoio, and Koroneiki).

The analysis, for the first time, of the chlorophyll and carotenoid profile of olive fruits of the varieties Coratina, Frantoio, and Koroneiki has revealed important differences with Spanish varieties. First, a high chlorophylls/carotenoids ratio and a low chlorophyll a/b ratio imply that the photosynthetic apparatus has structural differences with respect to other olive varieties; second, in the carotenoid fraction, a low percentage of lutein, a high percentage of beta-carotene, and a high content in neoxanthin are signs that in these three olive varieties the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway is displaced, favoring the beta,beta series over the alpha,beta series. These differences in the chlorophyll and carotenoid profiles of the fruit are reflected in the corresponding virgin olive oils. It is proposed that the limits of the pigmentary parameters of authenticity of virgin olive oil previously established for the Spanish varieties be extended to obtain markers at a general level, independent of the geographical origin.