Aromatization of olive oil especially by spices and herbs has been widely used technique throughout the ages in Mediterranean diets. The present study was focused on aromatization of olive oil by rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). Aromatization process was optimized by response surface methodology as a function of malaxation’s conditions (temperature and time). According to authors’ best knowledge it was first time for examination of oil yield performance with antioxidant potential and pigments under effect of aromatization parameters. For all oil samples, values of the free acidity, peroxide, K232 and K270 as quality parameters fell within the ranges established for the highest quality category “extra virgin oil”. Oil yield (mL oil/kg olive paste) changed from 158 to 208 with respect to design parameters. Total phenolic content and free radical scavenging activity as antioxidant potential of olive oil samples were varied in the range of 182.44 – 348.65 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg oil and 28.91 – 88.75 % inhibition of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-(DPPH•), respectively. Total contents of carotenoid, chlorophyll and pheophytin a as pigments in oil samples were found to be in between 0.09 – 0.48 mg carotenoid/kg oil, 0.11 – 0.96 mg chlorophyll/kg oil, 0.15 – 4.44 mg pheo α/kg oil, respectively. The proposed models for yield, pigments and antioxidant potential responses were found to be good enough for successful prediction of experimental results. Total phenolics, carotenoids and free radical scavenging activity of aromatized olive oil and oil yield were maximized to gather and optimal conditions were determined as 25°C, 84 min, and 2 % (Rosemary/olive paste; w/w).

Aim of the study to analyse the competitiveness of Turkish olive oil sector. For this purpose, leading countries was selected according to their shares in the world olive oil export and evaluated with Revealed Comparative Advantage and Vollrath indexes which are commonly used to measure competitiveness. Based on index results, it was found that Turkey has Revealed Comparative Advantage and Relative Competitive Advantage over Morocco and only Relative Competitive Advantage over Portugal. Except for Morocco and Portugal, international competitiveness of Turkey was found significantly lower than other selected countries. It was concluded that competitiveness of Turkey should be increased by increase quality, supporting producers’ organisations and sustainability in production.

Herbal medicine also called botanical or phyto-medicine refers to using a plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. It is becoming more main stream as improvements in analysis and quality control along with advances in clinical research show the value of herbal medicine in the treating and preventing disease. This study was focused on a traditionally prepared and used a product consist of an oil complex (olive oil, Nigella sativa seed oil, rosemary oil); which were researched antimicrobial effect of the product alone, and each oil by disc diffusion methods. Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and yeasts were employed in the susceptibility tests. The antibiotics of imipenem and vancomycin were exploited as positive controls. While there wasn’t effect on Gram-negative bacteria, strong antimicrobial effects were observed on Gram-positive bacteria and yeasts. Nigella sativa seed oil was the most effective. There wasn’t antagonistic and/or synergetic effect for the oil complex product. Although essential oils may be assigned the same name, they may differ widely as antimicrobial agents due to the extraction method used, which may explain the distinctive antimicrobial results reported in different studies. This was the first study to investigate the antibacterial and antifungal effects of this herbal medicine.

Ensuring the olive oil quality and authenticity has become a great importance for both traditional and emerging olive oil producing countries. The chemical composition in olive oil heavily varies depending on the olive cultivar and its growing region, the agronomic applications, the olive oil production methods and the process and storage conditions. With the help of some analytical techniques and data evaluation methods, it is possible to grade olive oils in terms of their differences. This research examines particularly fatty acid composition of commercial olive oils (2017/2018 season) with mass detector coupled with gas chromatography (GC/MS). Results were evaluated for grading of them according to IOC regulations based on cultivar (ripe or unripe Ayvalik and Memecik), production (organic, stone mill, cold press, two or more centrifugation systems, filtered or unfiltered) and packing type (transparent or dark glass bottle and plastic bottle), and also their geographic origin (Ayvalik and Edremit towns, the Cunda Island, North Aegean region or South Aegean Region). According to overall data processing, virgin olive samples could be successfully distinguished in terms of theirs geographic origin and cultivar roots. Moreover, it was also explained that the effect of process and package type for grading of olive oils as ‘extra virgin’ or ‘virgin’.