According to a survey conducted by Salvagente in 2023, 11 out of 22 bottles did not contain extra virgin olive oil but oil of a lower quality than promised.
It could be partly due to the large increase in extra virgin olive oil prices during 2023 , for the many reasons we discussed in a previous article.
What can we expect in the coming months regarding the sale of extra virgin olive oil in large-scale retail outlets?
The 2022 olive oil campaign was disastrous, we know it, and now we are paying the consequences of the scarcity of product and its quality: in fact, in the 2022 olive oil campaign Italy recorded a sharp drop in production, equal to 30% less oil .
But the situation in Spain, which not everyone knows is the world's leading olive oil producer, has weighed heavily on European and international markets. The country has seen its production halved due to the prolonged drought, settling at around 700,000 tons.
What happened to the sale of extra virgin olive oil in large-scale retail trade?
- the available quantity of extra virgin olive oil has decreased
- prices have gone up
- Many supermarkets ignored the situation and continued to offer promotional sales
- the limited quantities of extra virgin olive oil available have been put at serious risk, raising the possibility of the products running out
The entire supply chain must appeal to its sense of responsibility, together with agricultural and industrial production: discounts should not be made in a time of crisis in order to guarantee extra virgin olive oil on the tables of every family.
To address this significant problem, many companies have decided to produce and sell low-quality products, passing them off as extra virgin olive oil.
This means that more than half of the extra virgin olive oil sold in supermarkets is actually just virgin olive oil and you pay more than it's worth: 20% to 30% more!
The increase in oil prices must be contextualized in a more general context. According to Istat data, in July 2023, food sales grew by 5.6% in value and decreased by 4.7% in volume compared to the previous year.
What are the differences between an extra virgin olive oil and a virgin olive oil?
- If processed correctly, extra virgin olive oil is the purest and most natural result of pressing olives.
- Virgin olive oil is a qualitatively inferior product, although edible and harmless to the consumer. It differs in its free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, which does not exceed 2 grams per 100 grams, and therefore cannot provide the same benefits as the daily use of extra virgin olive oil.
How do you evaluate the quality of an extra virgin olive oil that is to be sold?
To be sold as such, an extra virgin olive oil must meet certain chemical parameters and be free of organoleptic defects through panel testing.
Below are the parameters that are usually taken into consideration.
The acidity
The acidity level (a criterion not detectable on the palate) must be less than or equal to 0.8% per 100 g of product.
Acidity is a parameter that indicates the percentage of oleic acid in an oil and is the main indicator of quality: the higher its value, the poorer the quality of the product.
Acidity is a direct consequence of the release of fatty acids due to the hydrolysis of glycerides, and is a qualitative parameter, definable only through laboratory analysis which allows us to evaluate any percentages of acidity < 0.80, 0.80 < A < 2 >2.
Olive oil is classified into three categories: Extra, Virgin, and Lampante.
Peroxides
Peroxides are markers that indicate the oxidative state of the oil (the state of conservation of the oil), that is, the quantity of oxygen that has been absorbed by the oil.
Peroxides indicate an oxidative alteration , synonymous with degradation and aging, expressed in milliequivalents of active oxygen per kilogram of oil (meq O2/kg). The limit for the peroxide number is 20, above which the oil is lampante.
A peroxide value is good if below 10-12:
- a high number of peroxides highlights a primary oxidation process already started and irreversible
- A low peroxide value is not necessarily associated with high quality, as the secondary oxidation phase may already be present, in which the peroxides have decomposed into aldehydes and ketones, which give the rancid sensation.
It is therefore necessary to accompany the peroxide analysis with spectrophotometric examination and organoleptic testing.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are a crucial component of olive oil, responsible for its bitter and pungent flavor, as well as being very important antioxidants for the human body. Polyphenols are also responsible for the product's long-term shelf life, as they protect it from the oxidative effects of air.
The amount of polyphenols present in olive oil can vary greatly: for example, during the 2020 edition of the Monovarietal Oil Exhibition, the samples analyzed ranged from 180 to 1,300 milligrams/kilogram.
The concentration of polyphenols is influenced by a large number of factors, such as the cultivar.
Varieties such as Coratina are able to express very high values, we have also had great performances from Picholine .
The presence of polyphenols is also influenced by agricultural practices, climate, and harvest time, as well as milling techniques, which can significantly reduce their number.
UV spectrophotometry
K232, K270 and DK are determined with the spectrophotometer in the laboratory by reading the absorptions at 232 and 270 nanometers.
The limits for an extra virgin oil are 2.5 for K232, 0.2 for K270 and 0.01 for DK.
Spectrophotometric analysis highlights refining processes or oxidation and aging phenomena in the oil: an increase in K232 highlights primary oxidation, with the formation of peroxides; while an increase in K270 highlights secondary oxidation.
The multi-residue
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin, Frantoio D'Orazio conducts research on both olives and oil for the active ingredients listed in the aforementioned regulation.
Research is not mandatory for oil mills but D'Orazio, to protect consumers and users of its products, has decided over the years to add this parameter.
Alkyl Esters
Alkyl esters (methyl and ethyl esters of fatty acids) are markers of fermentation processes.
A high ethyl alcohol value is linked to fermentation processes that take place during the olive storage phase (olive piles, in conditions of high relative humidity and temperature), while a high methyl alcohol value may be due to the processing of overripe olives, given that the activity of the endogenous enzymes that hydrolyze pectins increases with ripening.
They are therefore an important value for defining the expiry date of extra virgin olive oil (maximum value is 35 mg/kg).
Sterols and triterpene dialcohols
From a chemical perspective, sterols are those " minor compounds " present in olive oils that contribute significantly to their nutritional/health value. Furthermore, they serve as indicators of the product's "purity" and authenticity, revealing a great deal about the olives' geographical origin and the possible presence of different oils. This has been recognized at the European level since 1991 (EEC Regulation No. 2568). Indeed, they are a very important marker because they indicate whether or not fraud has occurred.
According to current legislation, an oil with total sterols below the legal limit cannot be called extra virgin olive oil and cannot be referred to in any other way since it does not have a regulated commercial identity.
The value of total sterols must be greater than or equal to 1000 mg/kg: if lower, the extra virgin olive oil will be classified as waste.
However, in recent years, there have been increasingly frequent cases of oils that are certainly genuine and often of high quality with a total sterol content lower than the legal limit (1000 mg/kg).
Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon (influence of climate change and therefore of the degree of ripening, characteristics of the cultivar, etc.).
The tasting test or organoleptic analysis
The profile and organoleptic characteristics of the oil in question must correspond to parameters established by law.
Extra virgin olive oil must not present any type of sensory defect and must reflect the following positive attributes :
- Fruity : Set of olfactory sensations, which depend on the variety of olive, characteristic of the oil obtained from healthy, fresh fruit, green or ripe, perceived directly and/or retronasally.
- Bitter : Elementary flavour characteristic of oil obtained from green or dark-coloured olives, perceived by the calyx papillae that form the V of the tongue.
- Pungent : Tactile sensation of tingling characteristic of oils produced at the beginning of the season, mainly from still green olives, which can be felt throughout the oral cavity, particularly in the throat.
The sensory analysis of oil is regulated by a method, which is that of the International Olive Council (IOC) .
This is, in fact, the system that determines the three commercial categories to which an olive oil can belong.
The COI method establishes whether the oil is virgin, extra virgin or lampante.
According to the COI method, in fact, to be considered extra virgin an oil, in addition to having no defects, must have a measured fruitiness, according to a scale ranging from 0 to 10, greater than 0.
Fruitiness is defined as light if it goes from 0 to 3, medium when it goes from 3 to 6, intense if above 6.
The same thing applies to the other two attributes: bitterness and pungency are sensations determined mainly by polyphenols.
Frantoio D'Orazio entrusts the analyses to evaluate the quality impact to an external laboratory.
Subsequently, its organoleptic and commercial classification follows, which takes place externally: a sample of oil is then evaluated by an accredited local laboratory, on which a sensory analysis (Panel Test) is carried out first and then a chemical-physical analysis.
