Tag: Chemistry of Extra Virgin Olive OIl

Education at UC Davis Olive Center California – 2018

sensory evaluation with olive oil, great olive oil, taste olive oil, cooking with olive oil
UC Davis Olive Center Course January 2018

 

 

 

Melgarejo Hojiblanca, First Prize Award Wining Intense Fruitiness, Olive Oil
Michael Bradley (second from the left) and the First Prize Award Winning Olive Grove Owners of ‘Melgarejo’ Hojiblanca from Spain and me.

 

 

What Have We Been Up To Lately

Sensory Certification Course January 2018 – UC Davis Olive Center Davis California

This January 2018, I participated in the Sensory Evaluation Certificate Course at UC Davis Olive Center in California; where Stephen also received his education and certification June of 2015.  We are committed to continuing our education and to be your trusted source for the freshest and healthiest extra virgin olive oil in the world.

What is Sensory Evaluation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The sensory evaluation of olive oil is done with the sense of smell, taste and feel. It is a scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyze and interpret reactions.  An Extra Virgin Olive Oil has ZERO defects in nose notes (smell) and flavor notes (taste and feel). The course also focused in on cooking with olive oil, YES, you can cook with high quality extra virgin olive oil.

This course enlightened me to what a fresh and living extra virgin olive oil smells and tastes like. It is a lot of work milling, picking and crushing these olives – time and environment matters greatly in the results.

UC Davis Olive Center this month had experts from around the world in nutrition and preventative medicine that discussed the role of olive oil health benefits and the Mediterranean Lifestyle with foods. We will be having an educational tasting event with the latest news and research regarding Olive Oil in February. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Instagram and Blog.

 

 

Ultra Premium Chemistry – Certified – Traceable – Strict Limits

UP Chemistry 2015

Ultra Premium (UP) Chemistry
Objective, verifiable chemical standards form the foundation of the UP grade. Chemical analysis of Extra Virgin Olive Oil has proven to be a fundamental indicator of sensory quality, predictor of perishability, and authenticity of olive oils. UP is the highest quality standard in the world because it utilizes the broadest array of available tests and enforces the strictest limits on all chemical standards.
Chemical Parameters Determination Indicators Extra Virgin Standard UP Standard
6.1 Free Fatty Acids (FFA) Free Fatty Acids are formed due to breakdown of the triacylglycerols in oils during extraction. Fatty acids are “free” when the are no longer bound to any other molecules. An elevated level of FFA can indicate poor quality or mishandled fruit, too much time between harvesting and extraction, poor storage and/or high temperature during extraction. Units: % as oleic acid
IOC limit ≤ 0.8 Units: % as oleic acid
UP limit ≤ 0.3
6.2 Oleic Acid The major fatty acid in olive oil triacylglycerols is Oleic acid making up 55 to 85% of olive oil The higher the oleic acid monounsaturated fat content translates to increased durability and shelf-life. Units: % as oleic acid
IOC limit ≥55 Units: % as oleic acid
UP limit ≥ 65
6.3 Peroxide Value Peroxides are primary oxidation products that are formed when oils are exposed to oxygen causing defective flavors and odors Primary measurement of rancidity in oil. Higher peroxide levels indicate oxidized and/or poor quality oil & give an idea of the freshness & storage conditions. Units: mEQ O2/kg oil
IOC limit≤20 Units: mEQ O2/kg oil
UP limit ≤9
6.4 UV Absorption UV spectrophotometric determination Secondary measurement of rancidity in oil. Elevated levels of UV absorption indicate oxidized and/or poor quality oil, possible refining and/or adulteration with refined oil. Secondary measurement of rancidity in oil. Elevated levels of UV absorption indicate oxidized and/or poor quality oil, possible refining and/or adulteration with refined oil. Units: K1%/1cm
IOC limits
K232 ≤2.5, K270≤0.22, DeltaK≤0.01 Units: K1%/1cm
UP limits K232 ≤2.0, K270 ≤0.20, DeltaK ≤0.01
(immediately after production)
6.5 Phenolic Content (Polyphenols) Phenols are healthful anti-oxidant substances in olive oil which aid in slowing down the natural oxidative processes. Phenolic content decreases over time and is an indicator of freshness, with higher amounts improving shelf-life and oxidative stability. N/A Units: (as ppm caffeic acid)
UP minimum limit ≥ 130
6.6 DAGs Fresh olive oil has a much higher proportion of 1,2-diacylglycerols to Total diacylglycerols while olive oil extracted from poor quality fruits and refined oils have a higher level of 1,3-diacylglycerols The ratio of 1,2-diacylglycerols to the Total diacylglycerols are a useful indicator of fruit quality and acts as a snapshot of olive oil freshness. Low values can also indicate oxidized oil & sensory defects. Units: %Total 1,2-diacylglycerols
AOA limit≥35 Units: %Total 1,2-diacylglycerols
UP limit ≥*90
(immediately after production)
6.7 PPP Upon thermal degradation of olive oil, chlorophyll pigments break down to pheophytins and then to pyropheophytins The ratio of pyropheophytins to the total pheophytins is useful for distinguishing fresh olive oil from soft column refined, deodorized, or backblended oils. Units: %Total Pheophytins
AOA limit≤17 Units: %Total Pheophytins
UP limit ≤5
(immediately after production)
*IOC= International Olive Council, AOA= Australian Olive Association

Capizzano Olive Oils & Vinegars carry only certified Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils. All of our Fused (Agrumato) and Infused Olive Oils foundation are UP Extra Virgin Olive Oils, no refined, synthetic or old olive oil blends are used in them.