TERMINOLOGIE
Acidity: The most important indicator of the quality of extra virgin olive oil is its acidity. These are the unbound fatty acids, as a percentage of weight. Extra virgin oil must be below 0.8%.
Peroxide Number: This is a measure of the primary oxidation of the olive oil. The peroxide value is less than 20 mg/kg, which again indicates that ELEO is of high quality.
K268: This value is less than 0.22 mg/kg. This contributes to low secondary oxidation.
K232: This indicates the presence of primary oxidation components. It is a more general measure than the peroxide number. The K232 value of an extra virgin virgin olive oil should be less than 2.5.
DK: The higher the DK (Delta K) value, the more oil other than extra virgin is mixed in it. The value for ELEO is below 0.01.
Polyphenols: Polyphenols are natural compounds in olive oil with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They are a big part of why olive oil is heart healthy. The consumption of 20 ml of extra virgin olive oil with a concentration of polyphenols of at least 250 mg/kg is said to prevent the oxidation of fats in the bloodstream. (more about polyphenols).
IS ALL OLIVE OIL EXTRA VIRGIN?
No, only a small part of the olive oil is good enough to carry the predicate extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Experts estimate that only 10% of all olive oil is good enough for extra virgin. Smaller producers in particular have the craftsmanship and care of processing (picking undamaged olives, pressing within 24 hours) for the designation EVOO. If oil has a higher acidity, but still less than 2%, then it can call itself virgin.
Within virgin olive oil (VOO) we make a distinction between restaurant grade (that is the best VOO) and regular grade (ordinary VOO). This is still a very high-quality product, because the bulk of the olive oil (and often also the olive oil produced in bulk) has more than 2% acidity and is therefore called “olive oil”.
Attention! In many supermarkets you will see premium olive oil, extra olive oil and other misleading terms that should make you feel you are buying the best oil. However, this is ordinary olive oil, without predicate. The predicates “extra virgin” and “virgin” are protected by EU rules.
