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Olive Oil Standards |
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If you have ever wondered what the technical difference is between Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Virgin Olive Oil and Ordinary Olive Oil, then these International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) Trade Standards will help explain.
Content supplied by : Gwydir Grove Olive Oils
INTERNATIONAL OLIVE OIL COUNCIL (IOOC) TRADE STANDARD
APPLYING TO OLIVE OIL AND OLIVE-POMACE OIL (10/6/99)
1. SCOPE
- This standard applies to olive oil and olive-pomace oil that is the object of international trade or of concessional or food aid transactions.
2. DESIGNATIONS AND DEFINITIONS
- 2.1. Olive oil is the oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea sariva Hoffm.& Link), to the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds. It is marketed in accordance with the following designations and definitions:
- 2.1.1. Virgin olive oil is the oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, particularly thermal conditions that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which has not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration.
- 2.1.1.1. Virgin olive oil fit for consumption as it is * includes:
i) Extra virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 1 gram per100 grams and the organoleptic characteristics which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard (ie.fruitiness and no defects)**.
ii) Virgin olive oil (the qualifier "fine" may be used at the production and wholesale stage): virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 2 grams per 100 grams and the organoleptic characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard (ie. fruitiness and defects below 2.5).
iii) Ordinary virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and the organoleptic characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard (ie.defects between 2.5 and 6 with fruitiness, or defects less than 2.5 without fruitiness).
2.1.1.2. Virgin olive oil not fit for consumption as it is, designated lampante virgin olive oil, is virgin olive oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and/or the organoleptic characteristics of which correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard (an off-taste and/or offensive smell [sensory rating greater than 6]). It is intended for refining or for technical purposes.
2.1.2. Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin oils by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure.
2.1.3. Olive Oil is the oil consisting of a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil fit for consumption as it is.
2.2. Olive-pomace oil is the oil obtained by treating olive pomace with solvents, to the exclusion of oils obtained by re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds. It is marketed in accordance with the following designations and definitions:
- 2.2.1. Crude olive-pomace oil is olive-pomace oil intended for refining with a view to its use in food for human consumption, or intended for technical purposes.
2.2.2. Refined olive-pomace oil is the oil obtained from crude olive-pomace oil by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure.
2.2.3. Olive-pomace oil is the oil comprising the blend of refined olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oil fit for consumption as it is. In no case shall this blend be called "olive oil".
*Oil may be referred to as natural.
**Italics courtesy of Michael Burr's "AUSTRALIAN OLIVES - A GUIDE FOR GROWERS AND PRODUCERS OF VIRGIN OILS" 3rd edition, 1998.
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