Sci. Agri. 13 (1), 2016: 23-29 © PSCI Publications Scientia Agriculturae www.pscipub.com/SA E-ISSN: 2310-953X / P-ISSN: 2311-0228 DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.SA.2016.13.1.2329 Effect of pedological, cultivar and climatic condition on sterols and quality indices of olive oil Shaker M. Arafat 1 , Amany M.M. Basuny 1 , Mohamed E. Elsayed 2 , Hanaa M. Soliman 3 1. Oils & Fats Research Department, Food Technology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. 2. Olive and Semiarid Zone Fruits Dept., Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. 3. Fats and Oils Dept., National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. Corresponding Author email: dr_shakerarafat@yahoo.com Paper Information A B S T R A C T Received: 7 October, 2015 Accepted: 29 November, 2015 Published: 20 January, 2016 Citation Arafat SM, Basuny AMM, Elsayed ME, Soliman HM. 2016. Effect of pedological, cultivar and climatic condition on sterols and quality indices of olive oil, 13 (1), 23-29. Retrieved from www.pscipub.com (DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.SA.2016.13.1.2329) The aim of this study examined the effects of three different areas (Siwie, Ben suef and k64 Cairo Alexandria desert road) that have important differences in climatic and pedologic conditions on the quality indices (free fatty acid, peroxide value, k232, k268 and oxidative stability), total phenolic compounds, o-diphenol, fatty acids and sterols composition of extracted oils from three common cultivars (Koronakii, Coratina and Maraqi) growing in Egypt. The obtained results were compared with Standard of International Olive Council. The research results showed that the quality indices, oxidative stability, fatty acids and sterols composition of the oils were largely influenced by the origin zone, i.e., by the climatic and pedologic factors of the production environment. © 2016 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved. Key words: Climatic and pedologic condition, olive varieties, sterol, quality indices Introduction Among many characteristics influencing of the high adult human life expectancy and low rates of chronic disease (including coronary heart disease and some cancers) in the Mediterranean area, a conspicuous factor is olive oil. The important nutraceutical effects of olive oil are due to its balance between oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids, as well as minor components (Krichene et al., 2010). Also, the nutritional value of olive oil is one of its defining characteristics. Having been specified by the International Olive Council (IOC) and the Commission of the European Communities (EEC), the quality of olive oil is determined on the basis of parameters including free fatty acid content, peroxide value, UV absorbency, and other quality parameters such as fatty acid profile and total unsaponifiable matter, of which sterols are the main constituents (Wiesman, 2009). The fatty acid profile of olive oil has been used not only for characterization and quality evaluation but also for identification of the growing area (Gomez-Gonzalez et al., 2011). The fatty acid composition of virgin olive oil has great importance from a health point of view. Several studies have shown the dietary importance of fatty acid composition of lipids (Aguilera et al., 2000). Diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acid and lower in saturated fatty acids lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol without altering the beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (Matson and Grundy 1985; and Mensink and Katan, 1992). Aviram and Eias (1993) noted that LDL incubated with oleic acid was less oxidized than others with linoleic and arachidonic acid. Specific profile of sterols in each oily fruit are also used to detect adulteration or to check the genuineness of the olive oil, as it can be considered a distinct "fingerprint" (Lukic et al., 2013; and Temime et al., 2006). The international olive council imposes limits or ranges for each type of sterol profiles outside of these ranges could suggest that the oil is not genuine. The required sterol profile (as % of total sterols) is as follows: cholesterol ≤ 0 .5%, brassicasterol ≤ 0.1%, campesterol ≤ 4.0%, stigmasterol ≤ campesterol in edible oils, Δ-7-stigmasterol ≤ 0.5% β-sitosterol + Δ-5-avenasterol+Δ-5-23-stigmastadienol + clerosterol + sitostanol + Δ-5-24-stigmastadienal ≥93.00% (International olive Council, 2009). These parameters are influenced by a wide variety of factors such as olive cultivar (Hashempour et al., 2010; Mailar et al., 2010; and Manti-Djebali et al., 2012), ripening stage (Bangana et al., 2013) and growing area (Aguilera et al., 2005). Among these factors, the olive growing area and cultivar are undoubtedly of primary importance (Temime et al., 2008), and each combination of cultivar and cultivation zone has a different chemical composition. Thus, interest in the effect of these parameters on the oil´s quantity and quality has been increasing (Krichene et al., 2010 and Mailer, 2010). The relationships between analytical oil variables and pedologic and climatic variables have been less studied (Guerfel et al., 2009, and Lazzez et al., 2011). According to Guerfel et al., (2009) some sterols, triterpenic alcohols and hydrocarbons