Profiling versus fingerprinting analysis of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons for the geographical authentication of extra virgin olive oils.

The verification of the geographical origin of extra virgin (EVOO) and virgin olive oil (VOO) is crucial to protect consumers from misleading information. Despite the large number of studies performed, specific markers are still not available. The present study aims to evaluate sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (SHs) as markers of EVOO geographical origin and to compare the discrimination efficiency of targeted profiling and fingerprinting approaches.