Prediction of Specific Odor Markers in Oil from Olive Fruit Infested with Olive Scale Using an Electronic Nose

Virgin olive oil is a valuable vegetable oil extracted from healthy olive fruit. In olive orchards, infestations of olive scale, a common pest, damage the fruit. This study applied an electronic nose to determine whether oil from fruit infested with olive scale had specific odor markers, which would be useful for quality control, because they could indicate contamination with oil from infested fruit. A HERACLES II electronic nose (Alpha MOS) analysis pre-screened odor compounds from oil of infested fruit. A comparison between the overall odor profiles of oil from healthy and infested fruit revealed important differences in the volatile compound concentrations. In total, 10 peaks were specific to oil from the infested fruit. Using the Alpha MOS's AroChemBase library, the peaks were identified as mostly corresponding to compounds associated with the off-odor of oil from infested fruit.