New discovery for the protection of the geographical origin of oil

New important step forward to verify the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil. Researchers from Enea have developed a new methodology based on the traceability of the geographical origin of the olives. It is the new methodology developed by the researchers of Enea.
The study interested 37 samples of olives and leaves from 11 varieties of olive trees in Lazio and focused on the analysis of the chemical elements present here. “Combining the most modern analysis technologies together – he explained the researcher Claudia Zoani of the Biotechnology and Agro-industry Division – we managed to identify the geochemical signature of the soil transferred to the olives. This opens up the possibility of identifying, in an ever faster and more accurate way, the geographical origin of olive products and of 'finding out' any fraud especially among the PDOs which must guarantee characteristics of quality, authenticity and typicality closely linked to the production area " .
The Enea team used highly sensitive techniques, which allow the quantification of elements present even at very low concentrations; such as the laser developed in the laboratories of Research Center of Frascati, a portable device based on photoacoustic spectroscopy that uses light and sound to perform real-time non-destructive measurements directly on the untreated sample; laser that has already been applied in horticulture, to detect the attack of pathogens and to detect any food fraud.
Analyzes have shown the possibility of distinguish samples by production area, according to the different soil characteristics and in the future it could also detect soil pollution. However, the researchers explain that further studies are needed to evaluate which soil characteristics can influence the presence of the various elements in olives and to verify how their bioavailability can be influenced, for example, by the use of fertilizers or fungicides.