Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Jaén is the region with the highest concentration of olive groves in Spain. From north to south and east to west in the Iberian Peninsula we find large olive plantations. The only exception is the Cantabrian coast.

1. What is extra virgin olive oil?

Firstly, olive oil is a vegetable fat that is extracted from the fruit of the olive tree, the olive or olive. Its extraction is done only by physical methods and no chemical process. Therefore, extra virgin olive oil is a real olive juice in its most natural expression. It retains some extraordinary organoleptic virtues.

a) Elaboration

The process of elabaración, is a physical process, that consists of crushing the olive and by means of centrifugalization, decantation and filtrate, separates the oil of the rest of the olive. This process of milling is carried out at low temperatures, that is to say, without ever exceeding 30ºC. For this reason it is the highest quality and the one that preserves all its beneficial components. Unlike seed oils, which are obtained at high temperatures.

Finally, the AOVE that will come out will have different aromas and nuances depending on the variety of olive, the microclimate, the soil and the time of milling.  Therefore, this is what we make known in shops specialized in olive oil.

Here is a video of how extra virgin olive oil is extracted

Video 1: Olive oil production

b) Types of olive oil

After milling, the alpechín is obtained which is all the remains, both water, bone and meat of the olive and olive oil. The olive oil, depending on the quality of the olive and how well it has been produced, will have different qualities, which we will describe below.

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Virgin olive oil
• Olive-pomace oil.

About 5% of olive oil is left in the vegetable water, which is extracted by chemical processes and from which olive oil is obtained from pomace.

These are the oils that come out after milling, and which we will see later.

Now we are going to see the different types of olive oil in greater detail.

1) The extra virgin olive oil

This is the olive oil that keeps all its organoleptic characteristics and passes the most rigorous quality controls. Among the chemical controls it must have: a maximum of 0.8% acidity and an organoleptic score must be greater than 6, on a scale from 0 to 10.

Therefore, extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil. As a result, it is the one that brings us the greatest health benefits and the one that we should use for everything.

2) Virgin olive oil:

Virgin olive oil is an olive oil with a higher acidity but that cannot exceed 2% and with some organoleptic defect. A virgin olive oil can also be a good olive oil with all its beneficial properties. However, we can find some organoleptic defects.

This can be the case of an extra virgin olive oil that has become old and can no longer be classified as extra virgin.

3) Olive-pomace oil:

Lampante olive oil is the virgin olive oil that has come out with great defects and cannot be consumed by man. This oil must be refined in order to be consumed.

Lampante olive oil has undergone a refining process and has been mixed with a little extra virgin or virgin olive oil. If it is not mixed or a little extra virgin or virgin is added to this process of mixing it with another oil it is called heading.

Please note that after refining the resulting oil is completely transparent, with no taste or aroma.

4) Olive oil:

It is the lampante olive oil that has been submitted to a process of refining and later it has been mixed with some extra virgin or virgin olive oil. If it is not mixed or a little extra virgin or virgin is added to this process of mixing it with another oil it is called heading.

Please note that after refining the resulting oil is completely transparent, with no taste or aroma.

5) Olive-pomace oil:

Comes from the refining of raw olive-pomace oil and has undergone a fortifying process.
The pomace or the alpechín, which is the rest of the milling, stone and skin of the olive, still contains around 5% of virgin olive oil. The pomace can no longer be extracted by physical means; it must be extracted by chemical means and at high temperatures. This oil, which is obtained by chemical methods, using mainly hexane, is called crude pomace oil.

Crude pomace oil has major defects and cannot be consumed directly.  Therefore, it must undergo more physical and chemical processes more or less extensive depending on its state, calling this process refined. Once the pomace oil has undergone the refining process, a little virgin or extra virgin olive oil is added. This is where the so-called olive-pomace oil comes into being.

Lampante olive oils are also subjected to a refining process. After these high temperature, chemical processes, they are finally mixed with some extra virgin or virgin olive oil. This is how the olive oil is produced.

2. Types of packaging

In the market we find different formats to buy olive oil. We are going to name them from best to worst and we will talk a little bit about each one of them.

a) Bag in box:

It’s a package that is becoming known in the extra virgin olive oil and it’s the best. This package was first developed in Australia, then jumped to the United States and finally to Spain. In Spain it started to be used in the world of wine, then other sectors such as beer, juices and vermouth started to use it. It is finally starting to conquer the world of extra virgin olive oil.

The bag in box consists of a cardboard box with a special plastic bag inside. This bag is where the olive oil is stored. When the olive oil is introduced, this bag closes hermetically and nitrogen can be introduced to take out all its oxygen. When the consumer opens the container and takes out the oil little by little, the bag is folded and compressed. As a consequence, at no time does oxygen enter the stored oil.

As a consequence, the bag in box protects the olive oil from oxygen and light. Above temperature, it is supposed to be stored in a cool place

b) Can.

The can would have the same advantages but with the disadvantage that once opened, the oil would be in continuous contact with oxygen. It also has the disadvantage, especially the 5 litre can, of being unwieldy. Therefore, it is one of the best tins to perfectly maintain the characteristics of olive oil.

c) Dark and transparent glass:

This would be one of the best containers, especially the dark one and to a lesser extent the transparent one. The translucent one would be an intermediate. Here the olive oil is protected against oxygen and light, and once opened, it does not take long to be consumed. Its disadvantage is the price

d) PET (plastic):

This would be the most commonly used, the worst oil-preserving and the cheapest. Oxygen enters through the plastic, and especially through its cap. At the same time, it is transparent or translucent and does not protect you from light. Therefore, the worst container to preserve the characteristics of the oil.

In conclusion, the best container to store olive oil is the bag in box. Then there would be the tin and dark glass. Plastic or PET would be the worst.

e) Others

There are also other containers such as glass or ceramic. These are very rare, but sometimes you can find them on the market.

3. What should I buy?

Nowadays, there are many surnames that are used in olive oil. Only in the classification, we have extra virgin olive oil, dry olive oil, mild or strong olive oil. Without getting into these classifications, we always recommend drinking extra virgin olive oil.

However, there are many other classifications, such as organic, conventional, premium, first harvest, with or without Denomination of Origin. A whole mess, especially for the person who does not know the world of olive oil well.

a) In an oil mill or a cooperative?

One of the questions you often ask yourself is whether to buy extra virgin olive oil from an olive mill or a cooperative. That is to say, who gives us the best oil?

First of all, one must know the difference between a cooperative and an oil mill.

• A cooperative

A cooperative is an association of producers. The cooperative can be formed by a few members or by thousands. Each member has a share in the company, which is independent of the quantity of olives he or she carries. Therefore, in the decisions of the cooperative, each member has only one vote, and all votes are equally valid.

I am commenting on this, so that you can understand how they make decisions. Therefore, in a cooperative, as it is formed by many farmers, they usually focus only on oil production and do not want to get involved in commercial campaigns. As a consequence, they tend to offer high quality olive oils at a good price. Examples of this would be our cooperative in San Benito and the cooperative in German Baena.

• The oil mill:

The oil mill consists of a single owner or a few partners. The company’s decisions are therefore made by a few people without the opinion of the rest. This allows the company to be taken to more competitive and commercial grounds. This is why we usually find the most awarded oils here. An example of this would be the oil mills of Oro del Desierto, Castillo de Canena, Oro Bailen.

• Bottling plant

There is also the possibility of buying it from a packaging machine. In this case, it is a company that buys the oil and it carries out the bottling process. In these cases, one must be well informed about where the oil is obtained.

4. Formats

In our shop we have a wide range of formats. Formats for every taste and need. Among them, we have the following:

• 5 l format:

The 5 l format is the largest format allowed by Spanish law. For this format, we have plastic containers, tins and bag in boxes.

• 1, 2 and 3 l format

For these formats, we also have the three types of packaging, and sometimes, we have in the format of 1 l in glass. These formats are not as large as the 5-litre format, and allow for better handling, while at the same time the oil is more economical.

• Formats smaller than 1 l:

We have all formats here as well. These formats are very suitable for premium oils, as they do not lose any of their properties during the time the bottle is open.

Sources:

The english newspaper BBC