Fruit fly leaves traces in olive oil

The degree of fly attack on olive fruits has been estimated from the FTIR spectra of the oils, providing an easy way to estimate quality and protect the purity of extra virgin olive oils. Scientists from Spain, Italy and Argentina analysed 32 olive oils prepared from plants that differed in the percentage attack by the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, and used multivariate analysis based on the partial least squares procedure to compare the data, as they reported in LWT - Food Science and Technology.

The regions of the FTIR spectra corresponding to fatty acids and phenolic compounds were sensitive to the proportion of the fruits that had been attacked by the flies, allowing the health of the olives and their oils to be estimated. This non-destructive method is so simple that it could be used by "non lab-qualified workers" to test oil samples before full production.