WHAT MAKES A GOOD EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL?


SEGGIANO TELL US THE SCIENCE, SKILL AND TECHNIQUE WHICH GOES INTO MAKING THE PERFECT EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.


T


his is a complex subject so here’s our bullet point guide to help you answer questions customers might ask and


to illustrate the elasticity behind common labelling terms. Confusion is widespread and big


producers have lobbied to keep the extra virgin definition broad enough,


to allow for some frankly dubious practices at the lower end of the market. Basically, evoo must be made directly from olive fruit exclusively by pressing and crushing, without chemical refining or heating. If in doubt, it’s status as extra virgin oil is determined by chemical analysis and


an organoleptic test. Organoleptic This is a taste test conducted by a qualified experts, who check for four basic defects: Rancidity, Musty, Vinegary, Fusty / Muddy and Frostbitten / Wet Wood. Should no defects be found, tasters will then look at positive aspects : fruitiness, intensity, harmony & balance and identify a range of flavours in a way similar to wine tasters. Some of these lovely, healthy flavours come from the


polyphenols (antioxidants) in the oil. Chemical analysis measures the % free acidity, peroxide (or oxidation) level and the degree of deterioration. To give an idea of the allowed parameters, the law allows for 8% free acidity but we would expect a maximum level of


2.5% for Seggiano evoo. Ordinary Olive Oil. What happens when the olives being milled are really poor quality, and the free acidity and defects are above the accepted legal levels to make it extra virgin oil? This is virgin olive oil , which may be


blended with extra virgin oil, to raise its chemical profile and diminish its defects, in order to be sold as evoo. Virgin oils which are deemed unfit for human consumption, are refined using caustic alkaline and deodorised with very high temperatures. This process brings the fatty acid level down to a low 3% so that it can enter


the market as ‘olive oil.’ Is your oil cold processed? Evoo is made by the mechanical crushing of raw olives into a paste, which is then churned, allowing the oil molecules to coalesce, before the paste is centrifuged to separate oil, water and solids. The oil then undergoes initial filtering. The closer to room temperature at which the milling takes place, the more the integrity of the oil is maintained and its healthy natural components are kept intact. The best mills work at between 23 - 25ºc. By increasing the temperature of the paste, more oil is extracted faster. This is obviously an attractive option for the larger producers who are driven by economics over quality. Heating the paste can only oxidise


the healthy polyphenols in the oil. Best Before. Oil deteriorates over time and a best before date of 24 months is allowed for evoos which are bottled at harvest time. Much oil is stored in vats for later bottling and whilst bottlers are allowed to indicate a best before date of 18 months from bottling, a producer is free to bottle an oil several years after its actual production date. Even though it is an important indicator


of freshness and traceability, there is no legal obligation to state harvest dates on oil labels, except for DOP or


IGP products. Filtered or Unfiltered? This is a bit of a red herring, as all evoo undergoes filtration during the milling process. The producer can then decide to refilter at any stage. Filtering can reduce taste intensity but also lowers the risk of defects, by removing residue vegetal


matter, which could ferment. Is green colour a sign of quality?


No! Colour is no indication of taste or quality. Official taste panels use coloured glass cups, so as not to be visually influenced. The colour of an oil is dependent on the olive variety, the terroir, the maturity of the olives


at picking & the milling process itself. Stone Milling and Cold Extraction?


Most modern mills use a closed system of revolving discs to slice, dice and smash the olives. The faster and more violent the process, the stronger and more aggressive the taste of the oil can be. Often slow milling results in more complex and more delicate flavours. The traditional large granite stones crush the olives in a comparatively slow and gentle way but because the process is open to the air, the paste is then at risk of oxidation. However if the olives are in perfect condition & you want to produce a delicate, less intense oil, stone milling is still a perfectly acceptable, if increasingly


rare milling option. Is it ok to fry with evoo? It all depends which evoo you are talking about. Industry promotes ordinary (refined) olive oil for deep frying due to a low free fatty acid level of 3% which leads to a correspondingly higher smoke point. If you have a good extra virgin with low free acidity, frying with it is a healthy option. Latest research indicates that it’s a seriously bad idea to fry with refined seed oils. The story behind making a good oil is complex and our greatest ally in judging an oil is tasting. More on that from David another time. l


www.seggiano.com The Delicatessen Magazine 13


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