Characterization of olive oil, collected and extracted in Pakistan, from wild olives (Olea ferruginea)

Pakistan is suffering from shortage of edible oil and huge amount of foreign exchange is being spent to import edible oil from other countries. Olea ferruginea (Oleaceae) also known as ¨Wild olive¨ is dominant in northern and north-western part of the Country, however it is not being utilized as a source of edible oil. The present study was aimed at characterizing oil from the “wild olive” in order to exploit it as a new source of virgin or extra virgin olive oil (VOO or EVOO). Chemical composition of three samples of wild olive oil, collected from different regions of Pakistan, was determined and compared with oil from cultivated olives. The parameters included in the study were fatty acids, diacylglycerols, total phenolic, sterols, tocopherols, carotenoids, water content and oxidative stability. The study is expected to generate valuable information to establish the utility of Olea ferruginea as a new source for edible oil and may also lead to valuable suggestions for its improvement.