4) Dr. Zipora Tietel

Olive oil is a functional food, often consumed for its health-promoting properties, attributed to its beneficial phytochemical composition. Due to global climate changes, olives are increasingly cultivated under saline water irrigation. Effects of irrigation-induced salinity on chemical, health-related and sensory quality of olive oil were studied. Trees (cv Barnea) were grown in lysimeters with continuous control and monitoring of root zone salinity. Salinity in the root zone was alternatively altered by changing irrigation solution salinity or by changing the extent of leaching. Extracted oil was analyzed for quality parameters including free fatty acid content, polyphenol, tocopherol, sterol and carotenoid levels, fatty acid (FA) profile and antioxidant capacity. Results show that fruit water and oil content significantly decreased with increasing exposure to salt. As salinity increased, there was a desirable rise in oil’s polyphenol and tocopherol levels and a contrasting non-desirable decrease in a number of important FA, including C16:1 and C18:3. The observed positive alongside negative effects on olive oil quality due to FA related parameters should be taken into consideration when considering irrigation with high salinity water sources. A number of important quality parameters were differentially influenced by the method of inducing the root zone salinity, suggesting that additional environmental variables leading to oxidative responses were affected by the treatments.