OLIVE OILS FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

Abstract

Sicily, located in the center of the Mediterranean basin, has represented for centuries a meeting point between different civilizations that have contributed to creating a wide genetic diversification of the Sicilian olive heritage, which has led to an improvement in the quality of the olive trees. In Sicily, today this diversification is comparable with other typical varieties of the Mediterranean basin, especially from an analytical point of view. Two international varieties were analyzed such as Arbequina and Koroneiki, two main Sicilian varieties such as Biancolilla and Nocellare del Belice, two minor varieties in the Sicilian varietal panorama such as Crastu and Tonda Iblea and finally two neglected varieties, which represent a production extremely limited, such as the Buttone di gallo and the Cavalieri.