Tag Archives: Making olive oil

Europa toughens the regulations on olive oil commercialization and production

Europa toughens the regulations on olive oilEuropa toughens the regulations on olive oil commercialization and production. This reform will affect, basically, labeling and bottling of oils, as well as naming and quality controls in order to assure olive oil quality and avoid fraud as much as possible.

Until now several regulations have been approved concerning labeling. They determine the compulsory of defining oil origin in oil bottles. It is necessary to define whether oil comes from the EU, from outside the EU or if it is a mixture from different vegetable oils. However, when approved, these measures did not have a warm welcome because they were damaging directly two of the most important oil exporters in the world: Spain and Italy. Continue reading

Acidity levels in good olive oils

Acidity levels in good olive oils

Acidity levels in good olive oils:

A couple of days ago I wrote an article about the benefits of oleic acid, a fatty acid present in the triglycerides of olive oil. Today I am going to explain the different grades of acidity in olive oils, what that grade of acidity means and which levels correspond to best oils.

With this aim, it is important to analyze the features and qualities of the most important fatty acids that form the triglycerides of olive oil: oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. The oleic acid is a fatty acid present in a very high proportion in olive oils; nearly the 75% of its composition. Decreasingly, in a second place, the linoleic acid is in between 3.5%-21%. As in the case of the oleic acid, our body is not able to synthesize it; therefore, its consumption is necessary and beneficial. Continue reading

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Spanish olive oil, main ingredient of Italian olive oil

Spanish olive oil, main ingredient of Italian olive oilLess than a year ago, a surprising article was published causing alarm among the international olive oil sector. A very well known Spanish newspaper brought to light the great swindle of Italian olive oil companies. This swindle prejudices consumers and, above everything, the international vision of Italy as one of the leading countries in Mediterranean products.

It is quite shocking that such a country, with those wide and huge lands and its cultural and gastronomic heritage, is taking a lot of effort in buying Spanish olive oil in bulk in order to label and sell it as if it was Italian oil. After all, Italy is one of the leading Mediterranean countries in a matter of agriculture and gastronomy products. Italy is a country with more than 900.000 hectares dedicated exclusively to olive growing and for this reason this country should invest all of its efforts in exploiting its denomination of origin and compete against Spain for being the highest quality olive oil producer in the world. Continue reading