Arbequina extra-virgin olive oils were flavored with lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) essential oil (0.1–0.4%, w/w), being evaluated quality parameters (free acidity, peroxide value, UV-extinction coefficients), oxidative stability, antioxidant and total reducing capacity. The kinetic-thermodynamic nature of the lipid oxidation was evaluated by Rancimat (110–150 °C). The essential oil addition promoted the antioxidant and total reducing capacities but, unfortunately, increased primary and secondary related quality parameters. Moreover, flavoring decreased the oils' oxidative stability. The kinetic-thermodynamic data showed that unflavored oils had significantly lower oxidation reaction rates (0.055–0.06492 h−1), more negative temperature coefficient (−0.0268°C−1), higher temperature acceleration factor (1.852), greater activation energy (82.7 kJ mol−1) and frequency factor (10.9 × 109 h−1), higher positive enthalpy of activation (79.4 kJmol-1), lower negative entropy of activation (−131.8 J mol−1K−1) and greater positive Gibbs free energy of activation (129.95–135.23 kJ mol−1), showing that oils’ oxidation was negatively influenced by the essential oil incorporation. Overall, oxidation had a non-spontaneous, endothermic and endergonic nature. Finally, olive oils could be satisfactorily classified (principal component and linear discriminant analysis) according to the flavoring level, using quality-antioxidant-stability or kinetic-thermodynamic datasets. The latter showed a less predictive performance, although ensuring the full discrimination of unflavored from flavored oils.
