Characterization and geographical differentiation of Kalamata table olives using physical, chemical, mechanical and sensory properties: A chemometric approach

Kalamata table olives were collected from the regions: Messinia, Lakonia, Etoloakarnania, Phthiotida and Arta in Greece, during the harvest years: 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 at the stage of full maturity. Parameters determined included: moisture, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, volatile compounds (VC), electrical conductivity, total phenolics (TPC), antioxidant activity, resistance to penetration and load as well as the sensory parameters: Salty, bitter, acidic, hardness, fibrousness and crunchiness in order to characterize and classify Kalamata table olives with regard to geographical origin. Analytical data were statistically treated using Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). A classification rate of 77.6 % resulted using physical / chemical / mechanical properties, 80.9 % using physical / chemical / mechanical properties plus volatiles and 83.7 % using physical / chemical / mechanical plus sensory properties.