Change in the natural ratio between chlorophylls and carotenoids in olive fruit during processing for virgin olive oil

Different varieties of olives from different sources, harvested in a simila r ripeness state, have been characterized by their chlorophyll and caroteno id pigment profile and content. Pigment richness is inherent to the variety and enables great differences or similarities to be established between th em. In all the fruits, ripening involves pigment loss, with the disappearan ce of chlorophylls always being slightly greater than that of carotenoids. However, independently of variety and the different pigment content of the fruits, the ratio between chlorophylls and carotenoids tends to remain more or less constant, within a range of 2.5 to 3.7 mg total chlorophyll/mg tot al carotenoid. Pigment loss caused by the extraction process is more marked for the chlorophyll fraction than for the carotenoids, changing the ratio in the oil to around one unit, whatever the variety of source fruit.