Traceability monitoring of Greek extra virgin olive oil by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

In the present study, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used as the sole analytical tool for the determination of the varietal and geographical origin of Greek extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). EVOO samples were of four different monovarietal categories and originated from four geographical regions of Greece. Thermal properties of EVOOs were studied by obtaining the heating and cooling profiles of samples.Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of combined results, obtained from heating and cooling profiles, showed that the DSC protocols studied can be effectively used for the determination of varietal and geographical origin of Greek EVOOs, correctly classifying 97.3% and 88.5% of samples, respectively. Furthermore, EVOOs of Koroneiki cultivar from two different geographical regions of Greece were correctly classified by 90.5% in their assigned groups of geographical origin. The applied DSC was shown to have great potential of being used as a tool for traceability monitoring of Greek EVOOs.