A rapid screening in oleuropein content and VOCs emission in fifteen olive cultivar leaves.

Samples of two-year-old olive leaves were obtained from 15 Italian cultivars and grown within the germplasm collection of the Montepaldi Farm (University of Florence). In this study the oleuropein content (OLE) and the total emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were evaluated. The data showed the influence in the short term of the climatic elements (September-December). The obtained results highlighted a great variability both in the response of the different cultivars and between the different sampling dates for the two considered parameters. In particular, for each cultivar the OLE content increases in the month of October and decreases in the month of November. Furthermore, in the Carolea cv, the OLE content is higher in September and progressively decreases over time. Moreover, a huge variability was observed in the total content of VOCs, both among the cultivars and over time