# The Potential of Apulian Olive Biodiversity: The Case of Oliva Rossa Virgin Olive Oil
## 3 Results
### VOOs Characteristics
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline
**Harvest Season** & **Pi \({}^{*}\)** & **Sampling** & **TPC** & **\(\alpha\)-Tocepherol** & **\(\beta\)-and \(\gamma\)-** & **Total** & **Carotenoids** & **Chlorophylls** \\  & 1.92 & S2 & 761.64 \(\pm\) 20.36 \({}^{*}\) & 246.20 \(\pm\) 10.59 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 5.28 \(\pm\) 0.49 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 251.47 \(\pm\) 10.94 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 57.77 \(\pm\) 0.94 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 54.68 \(\pm\) 0.90 \({}^{\text{b}}\) \\
2017/2018 & 1.93 & S3 & 577.36 \(\pm\) 15.33 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 237.21 \(\pm\) 4.49 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 4.27 \(\pm\) 0.82 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 241.47 \(\pm\) 4.82 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 34.39 \(\pm\) 0.30 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 26.96 \(\pm\) 0.10 \({}^{\text{d}}\) \\  & 3.12 & S4 & 472.83 \(\pm\) 12.60 \({}^{\text{c}}\) & 230.48 \(\pm\) 14.03 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 5.60 \(\pm\) 0.73 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 235.82 \(\pm\) 13.45 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 48.14 \(\pm\) 0.95 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 40.23 \(\pm\) 0.73 \({}^{\text{c}}\) \\ \hline  & 2.43 & S2 & 592.86 \(\pm\) 72.99 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 349.74 \(\pm\) 5.05 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 6.32 \(\pm\) 0.50 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 356.06 \(\pm\) 4.60 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 47.27 \(\pm\) 1.50 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 66.30 \(\pm\) 1.84 \({}^{\text{a}}\) \\
2019/2020 & 3.57 & S3 & 379.60 \(\pm\) 8.43 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 235.79 \(\pm\) 34.25 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 3.39 \(\pm\) 1.44 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 239.18 \(\pm\) 35.67 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 23.42 \(\pm\) 1.71 \({}^{\text{d}}\) & 23.13 \(\pm\) 0.44 \({}^{\text{f}}\) \\  & 3.83 & S4 & 358.67 \(\pm\) 25.97 \({}^{\text{d}}\) & 248.33 \(\pm\) 11.82 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 4.34 \(\pm\) 0.17 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 252.67 \(\pm\) 11.99 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 25.22 \(\pm\) 0.91 \({}^{\text{d}}\) & 25.27 \(\pm\) 0.52 \({}^{\text{e}}\) \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
* Pi (mean, \(n=3\)) of the drupes at the moment of oil extraction; TPC, total phenolic compounds. Different letters for each parameter indicate significant differences according to two-way ANOVA followed by [PERSON]’s LSD post-hoc test (\(\alpha=0.05\)). S2-S4: three subsequent samplings.  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Minor compounds (mg kg\({}^{-1}\)) of the Oliva Rossa VOOs extracted during fruit ripening in two different harvest seasons (mean \(\pm\) SD, \(n=3\)). The identified compounds were those commonly found in VOOs, belonging to the classes of phenolic alcohols (3,4-DHPEA, \(p\)-HPEA), phenolic acids (vanillic and syringic acids), flavonoids (luteolin and apigenin), lignanes (pinoresinol) and, most importantly, secorioid derivatives (3,4-DHPEA-EDA, \(p\)-HPEA-EDA and \(p\)-HPEA-EA). Phenolic acids were found in very little amounts, according to the literature data [44]. Similarly, a minor contribution of phenolic alcohols was observed. It is known that phenolic alcohols originate from the more complex secorioid moieties mostly during VOO storage [44]. The di-aldehyde forms of 3,4-DHPEA and \(p\)-HPEA were the most abundant phenols in all the maturity stages, followed by a remarkable amount of pinoresinol. At the first sampling (S2), the oils showed the highest significant content of almost all the identified phenolic compounds. During ripening, the profile changed with a sharp reduction in 3,4-DHPEA-EDA and a less pronounced decrease in \(p\)-HPEA-EDA. At S3, the oils were characterized on one hand by the significantly higher amount of luteolin and 3,4-DHPEA-EDA-CARB while on the other by the significant lower content of \(p\)-HPEA-EDA and pinoresinol. At S4, the lowest significant amount of phenolic compounds was observed. Some phenols showed a parabolic trend during ripening, having a maximum or minimum content in correspondence to the technological optimum (S3); it was also the case for 3,4-DHPEA-EDA-CARB, \(p\)-HPEA-EDA, pinoresinol and luteolin. Such a trend could be linked to the complex pattern of biochemical and chemical phenomena, which could affect the relative amount of phenols in the VOOs and, to a lesser extent, to the natural variability of the sampled material.