Comparison of fruit and oil characteristics of South Aegean Region Memecik olive

Purpose: Memecik olive grown in different ecological areas can display different characteristics in terms of fruit quality and oil features. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the fruit and oil features in the South Aegean region where Memecik oil is intensely cultivated in Turkey. Material and Method: Important districts of Aydın, İzmir, and Muğla in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in South Aegean region production season which have the first places of TUİK (2017) report about tree presence and production areas had determined. The districts to be included in the scope of the study were determined as Koçarlı, Söke, Çine, Selçuk, Bayındır, Torbalı, Bodrum, Milas, and Fethiye. Within the scope of the experiment, pomological analyzes of the fruits of Memecik variety harvested in orchards selected from the regions at approximate altitudes, and biochemical and sensory analyzes of the obtained olive oils were performed. Findings: The olive samples obtained from the southern Aegean region have the highest fruit weight (5.78 g) and fruit width (19.38) in the olives of Bayındır, the highest fruit length in the olives of Bodrum (27.10), the too little number of olives in 1 kg (184) were found in Bayındır district. By the time of harvest, the highest maturity index value was determined in Koçarlı district's (2,02) olives. In 2019, it was determined that the free fatty acidity and peroxide values of the oils obtained by accepting all conditions as equal to the maximum extent, were within the limits of the Turkish Food Codex Olive Oil and Pomace Communiqué 'Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil' values. It was determined that the polyphenol content of the olive oils of Fethiye district (571 mg/kg) was high. It was determined that the vitamin E content of the oils obtained from the Memecik variety olives was the highest in the Koçarlı district (480 mg/kg) olive oil. When the districts with the highest value in terms of fatty acid distributions are examined; For oleic acid, it is found in Selçuk district (72.63), for palmitic acid in Milas district (15.48), for linoleic acid in Fethiye district (17.55), for stearic acid in Koçarlı district (3.23). In terms of sterol compositions, total B-sterol and total sterol contents were determined to be higher than the limit limits specified in the Turkish Food Codex Olive Oil Communiqué. According to the sensory evaluations made on the olive oils obtained using the Abencor system, the oils in the studied districts were defined as 'Natural Extra Virgin Olive Oil' according to the classification in the Turkish Food Codex Olive Oil Communiqué. It has been determined that the most intense values of fruitiness and burning properties from their positive properties are in the olive oil of Selçuk district, the most intense value of the pungency feature is in the olive oil of Söke district. Conclusion: In general, the Memecik olive species which has the highest number of trees, and an important part of economics and production in the Aegean region and the country has a coherence in the related standards of olive and oils quality in the South Aegean region. Key Words: Memecik, Olive oil, Olive, South Aegean region,