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2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.
Lipid Oxidation and Quality
Xueqi Li, MSc (she/her/hers)
Research Specialist
University of California, Davis
Sacramento, CA, United States
Lu Li
Supply and Product Quality Manager
California Olive Ranch, United States
Andrew Blandino
Senior Statistician
University of California, Davis, United States
Mary Mori
Vice President of Quality and R&D
California Olive Ranch, United States
Christopher Moore
Former Laboratory Manager
California Olive Ranch, United States
Alejandra Andalon
Oil Lab Supervisor
California Olive Ranch, United States
Selina C. Wang, University of California, Davis, USA (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension in Small Scale Fruit & Vegetable Processing
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA, United States
The quality and shelf life of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are pivotal to its marketability and consumer satisfaction. This study evaluated how pyropheophytin a (PPP) and 1,2-diacylglycerols (DAGs) changed for different varieties of EVOO over a 24-month storage period under varying temperature conditions (16, 18, and 20°C). PPP values were primarily influenced by storage temperature, while DAGs evolution was driven by a combination of storage time, temperature, and initial free fatty acid levels. Both DAGs and PPP had weak correlations with quality and oxidative parameters like peroxide values (PV) and UV absorbances. When applying the current California olive oil standard thresholds (PPP ≤ 17% and DAGs ≥ 35%), 100% specificity was achieved, ensuring 0% of non-rancid oils were misclassified as rancid. While alternative thresholds (e.g., PPP ≤ 12% and DAGs ≥ 47%) showed improved sensitivity (from 21% to 42%), their practical significance is limited due to compromised specificity (97%). Our findings demonstrated PPP and DAGs can accurately classify EVOO quality and shelf-life prediction models utilizing these chemical parameters help determine use-by dates, promote consumer trust, and improve transparency and consistency in the global olive oil industry.