Introduction: the olive oil
Olive: botanical aspects and cultivation
Composition of the ripe olive, nutritional properties
Olive harvest
Olive oil: chemical composition
Olive oil: properties and nutritional characteristics
Preparation of the olive oil
Conservation of olive oil
Pomace oil
Classification of olive oils, analysis and fraud
Olive oil as a laxative
Olive tree in herbal medicine - sea buckthorn
Cosmetic use: olive oil - Olive oil unsaponifiables - Olive leaf extract
Classification of olive oils (Reg CE 1513/2001)
VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: "oils obtained from olives mechanically or with other physical processes, in thermal conditions that do not alter them and which have not undergone any treatment except washing, decanting, centrifugation and filtration".
These virgin oils are then classified according to their free acidity.
Based on the "acidity expressed in oleic acid, they are divided into:
- EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: absolutely perfect taste and free acidity, expressed in oleic acid, not exceeding 0.8%.
- VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: perfect taste and free acidity not exceeding 2%.
- LAMPANTE VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: imperfect taste and / or free acidity higher than 2%. It cannot be used for direct consumption but must be sent to a rectification process that corrects its acidity and taste. The same goes for pomace oils. Therefore, all the oils obtained through the physical processes that we have seen, but which have a "free acidity higher than 2% and / or an imperfect taste, are defined as lampante virgin olive oils."
OLIVE OIL: Refined olive oil cut with virgin olive oils, other than lampante oil, with acidity not exceeding 1%.
OLIVE PACE OIL: oil obtained by cutting refined olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil other than lampante; acidity not higher than 1%.
In general, the rectified oils are used for the preparation of preserved oils, such as canned tuna.
Classification of olive oils
Analysis of olive oils
Analyzes of olive oils can have different purposes:
- verify its authenticity and classification (the wording on the label must comply with the parameters set by law)
- ascertain the quality (genuineness)
- highlight the correspondence to the particular provisions for typical products. Like all other food products, olive oils can also bear quality marks, such as the PDO (protected designation of origin), the PGI (protected geographical indication) and the TSG (traditional specialty guaranteed). These three marks are data from the European community on the basis of particular qualitative characteristics. In addition to free acidity, therefore, the EU requires for these oils a low content of trans fatty acids, a certain content of trilinolein (simple triglyceride consisting of esterified glycerol with three molecules of linoleic acid) and an absolutely perfect taste (via panel test).
These last three checks are mandatory only for olive oils that have a quality mark.
The most frequent frauds
Since olive oil is the most valuable of all edible oils, it is also the most subject to sophistication.
In particular, the most common frauds are:
- extra virgin oil that contains refined oils, both olive and seed (cut).
Oils with analytical contents that do not meet the requirements of the regulations - Community (for example an "acidity higher than the limits set for that particular category).
- Various colored seed oils that can be passed off as olive oils (especially almond and peanut oils).
