Objective criteria for good olive oil

The main criteria of olive oil set by the International Olive Oil Council are based on three key factors: acidity, oxidation and its organoliptic characteristics - aroma, colour, taste.

Acidity:

Acidity is one of the most important criteria for both professionals and ordinary consumers. It determines the quality classification, grading and fixing of the price of oil. The fatty acids in oil are either free or bound to an alcohol called glycerol. Free fatty acids form the acidity of the oil. The acidity is usually expressed as a percentage (1.5 %...). The higher the number, the more free fatty acids. The degree of development of this acidity is due to several factors (which begin to affect the fruit early on) such as the fruit fly that has affected the olives, breaking the fruit at harvest time, and time and way of storage of olives, and particularly the final grinding of the mill.

VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
It is the oil obtained solely from the fruit of olives by mechanical or natural
means which do not cause damage to the final quality (cold mills, etc.).
Virgin olive oil is essentially a natural fruit juice that contains all the beneficial
health nutrients.
This oil has not undergone any processing other than extraction and possibly
decantation, centrifugation or filtration.

Extra virgin olive oil with maximum acidity level of 0.8 grams in 100 grams of olive oil or acid. O.8%. It is considered the best quality olive oil (natural juice) obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or natural processes, and always under low temperature conditions.

FLAVOUR AND AROMA OF THE OLIVE OIL
The organoleptic examination is carried out by qualified testers and in accordance with the rules and standards established by the International Olive Council. Oil tasters are very skilled people, who have developed the ability to experience a whole range of olive oils of different quality and origin. Tasters are not allowed to smoke, use any perfume, deodorant and even soap that can affect their final judgment for at least 30 minutes before tasting. They are also prohibited to try any food for at least one hour before and do not participate in the process of tasting if they take any medication, or if they have a cold or they are under psychological stress.

AROMA:
Olive oil, like wine has got a large number of flavor and aromatic ingredients.
The natural aroma and taste depend to some extent on the quality of olive oil and the variety of olive itself, on the climatic and soil conditions in which they grew, and of course, on the ripeness of the fruit. It is observed that the highest concentration of aromatic compounds in olive oil is made when the fruit turns from intense green color to black and slightly violet. Some of the aromatic components of olive oil are aldehydes (propanol, butanol, pentanol, etc.), hydrocarbons (isopentane, octane, aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.) and aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, etc.).

The flavors and aromas of olive oil.
The uniform regulation of the EU, implemented by all oil producing countries in the evaluation of olive oil is No. 2568/91. This regulation, under which the characteristics of olive oil are assessed and recorded helps us to identify and discover the wealth of flavors and aromas that the various types of oils have.

Delectable flavors and aromas in olive oils.
Gutierrez was the first in 1977 who isolated and identified 60-70 substances present in olive oil which give it a particular aroma and taste each time. Specifically:

APPLE: flavor which resembles apple.
SWEET TASTE: pleasant taste, not exactly fructose.
Grass: characteristic odor of certain oils, which resembles the smell freshly
cut grass gives off.
GREEN LEAVES (bitterness): olive oil flavor produced by very unripe olives,
which was ground along with leaves and branches.
Bitterness: characteristic flavor of olive oil produced from unripe olives or olives just beginning to ripen. The taste can be rather pleasant, depending on how strongly perceived. astringent : characteristic feel of certain oils which leave in the mouth a slightly astringent taste.
Strength: flavor of olive oil produced in the beginning of the production period mainly from unripe olives. This feeling is caused by the action of phenolic substances on the edges of the trigeminal nerve, which extends across the mouth.
Almonds: flavor in two different forms: Either as fresh or dry almond flavor (it could be taken as the beginning of rancidity). This flavor is associated with sweet oils which are characterised by subdued smell.
FLAT or weak (stale): Its aromatic components are very weak and have fizzled out.
STRAW: distinctive scent of certain oils which resembles the smell of pretty dried grass.
LEMON: taste featuring in very few olive oils which gives the mouth an acid citrus feel.
Sorrel: also a subdued sour taste due to olive trees grown close to lemon and orange trees.
PEPPER: spicy taste of some olive oils whose aroma has some raciness.