Comparison of the Virgin Olive Oils Produced in Different Regions of Turkey

Virgin olive oils from different regions of Turkey were collected and analyzed. The total phenolics and antioxidant capacity of the samples ranged from 30.26 to 208.61 mg gallic acid/kg and 0.60 to 5.61 Trolox equivalents/kg, respectively. Free acidity (0.44–7.31% oleic acid), peroxide value (6.83–39.60 meq O 2 /kg), total volatiles (0.11–0.37%), viscosity (65.50–85.40 cP), K 232 value (1.30–2.54), K 270 value (0.08–0.30), refractive index (1.470) and descriptive sensory properties of the samples were also measured. The multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis indicated that positive and negative attributes classification of the olive oil sensory defining terms were mostly the case, and total phenolics content by itself may be a useful classification index. Also, MDS maps showed that the samples from Southeastern and Aegean regions are closer, while others are separate from each other. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Data for the physicochemical and sensory descriptive properties of virgin olive oils from Turkey are provided for the scientific community, olive oil consumers and traders. Also, utilization of sensory data by multidimensional scaling technique for geographical origin groupings provides a unique insight for researchers for similar objectives. In addition, some findings (i.e., the eligibility of phenolics content by itself for olive oil classification) of this article produce new results for fast and practical application purposes yet confirmed by other researchers.