Poorly emphasized aspects for a sustainable olive oil system are chemical analysis replacement and quality design of the final product. In this context, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can play a ...pivotal role. Thus, this study aims at comparing performances of different NIRS systems for the prediction of moisture, oil content, soluble solids, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of intact olive drupes. The results obtained by a Fourier transform (FT)-NIR spectrometer, equipped with both an integrating sphere and a fiber optic probe, and a Vis/NIR handheld device are discussed. Almost all the partial least squares regression models were encouraging in predicting the quality parameters (0.64 < R2pred < 0.84), with small and comparable biases (p > 0.05). The pair-wise comparison between the standard deviations demonstrated that the FT-NIR models were always similar except for moisture (p < 0.05), whereas a slightly lower performance of the Vis/NIR models was assessed. Summarizing, while on-line or in-line applications of the FT-NIR optical probe should be promoted in oil mills in order to quickly classify the drupes for a better quality design of the olive oil, the portable and cheaper Vis/NIR device could be useful for preliminary quality evaluation of olive drupes directly in the field.
Sustainability, defined as ‘meeting current needs without compromising the future’, is a widely accepted goal across many sectors of society. Sustainability’s criteria and indicators often only ...regard sustaining present conditions through increased resilience, intended as a system’s capacity to experience shocks while retaining essentially the same functions and structures. However, new sustainability concepts, sometimes referred to as “sustainagility”, also consider the properties and assets of a system that sustains the ability (agility) of agents to adapt and meet their needs in new ways, preparing for future unpredictability and unforeseen changes. Therefore, resilience must coexist with adaptive capacity for real, long-term sustainability. Consumers are paying increasing attention to the sustainability of the food supply chain; thus, sustainable development is necessary for all food processes. Since the olive oil sector has a well-established historical tradition, any change and innovation that aims to obtain a sustainable development not only needs to be analyzed in terms of environmental, economic, and social aspects, it should also be significantly improved and closely monitored. Thus, this Special Issue is a collection of papers that can increase sustainability knowledge in the olive-oil-processing chain, to take a significant step forward in future developments.
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