Edible oils are an important constituent of human diet because they provide desirable nutritional properties, flavor and texture of food. Olive oil is one of the most frequently used edible oils. Therefore knowledge of its physicochemical properties is indispensable to assess its quality. In fact, there are many factors having an influence on the chemical and physical characteristics of olive oil, such as the climatic conditions, the agronomic and genetic factors.
In Morocco, different varieties have been developed in order to improve the yield and oil quality. But few comparative studies were made between the different product varieties. The aim of this study was to characterize the olive oils from five olive varieties most cultivated in Morocco. Then compare them by using the physic-chemical parameters with storage conditions (darkness and sunlight). Several parameters were studied, namely, quality indices defined by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC): The acid value "Av", the peroxide value "Pv" and the specific extinctions "K232 / K270". The results of different analyses show significant differences between these five varieties, and demonstrate that the Picholine de Languedoc variety is the most efficient in term of quality for the consumer.