Multivariate Data Analysis of Thermally Treated Sicilian Extravirgin Olive Oils. Coupling of Electronic Nose, Gas Chromatography-mass Spec-trometry and Rheology Techniques

Abstract

In this work we describe the chemical and physical changes of Sicilian extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) heated at 90° in a conventional oven for one month. The effects of the thermal treatment along days on volatile compounds and vis- cosity were monitored using electronic nose, gas chromatography and rheology. Data obtained by these techniques were combined in order to create a data matrix for the analysis, and the unsupervised method Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used. A synergistic effect was obtained by combining all data, thus allowing discriminating oil samples ac- cording to their oxidative status.