Biomarkers that guarantee the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil

Authenticity, Traceability, and Safety of Olive Oil

Growing consumer interest in high-quality EVOO has led to the development of sound scientific methods for its traceability. The growing demand for extra virgin olive oil, prized for its unique organoleptic properties and health benefits, has led to various fraudulent practices to maximize profits, including dilution with lower-value edible oils.

These oils are said to have poor nutritional quality, oxidize more easily, and may contain harmful substances produced during processing. However, the range of techniques available for detecting fraud in EVOO production has increased.

Reliable markers of olive oil adulteration include fatty acids and minor components such as sterols, tocopherols, triterpene alcohols, phenols, phospholipids, volatile compounds, and pigments.

A study by researchers at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA-UB) conducted a review of the limits of EVOO certification and the regulatory framework, focusing on biomarkers that guarantee both the authenticity and traceability of the oil and, therefore, its health properties. When high-resolution mass spectrometry is not available to obtain a complete fingerprint, stigmastadiene and sterol profiles are offered as reliable markers.

The analysis conducted focused on (i) the usefulness of certain compounds as markers of EVOO adulteration; (ii) the potential health risks associated with the consumption of fraudulent EVOO; (iii) the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil; and (iii) reliable methods for the geographical traceability of olive oil.

Finally, it is necessary to uncover fraudulent production practices to preserve the beneficial health effects of EVOO and avoid the potential risks associated with consuming inferior oil.

This research was published in In Food Science and Food Safety and can be consulted at the National Library of Medicine.

Price Pressure

On the other hand, the opposite has happened in olive oil. Large distributors have made it cheaper to impossible levels, below the original price. Even some unscrupulous people don’t hesitate to mix them with lower-quality oils and/or other seeds to make them even cheaper.

In this way, they transfer this price pressure to the poorly living farmer to carry out his production, often selling it to these packaging companies at low prices.

If the farmer doesn’t generate resources, they logically don’t invest in improvements, and ultimately, the quality of the product declines. This is how we, in the country that produces half of the world’s olive oil, can “recharge” this wonderful product.

And the worst part isn’t that these “adulterated” oils no longer taste like almost anything else… the worst part is that they no longer provide their healthy benefits. We may unknowingly consume olive oil because we think we’re investing in our health, when in reality we’re just getting fat… 🙁

Fortunately, some companies/almazaras like Oro del Desierto, Almazaras de la Subbética, Casas de Hualdo, and many others have broken this vicious cycle and are producing delicious EVOOs.

They don’t care too much about the price of oil in the supermarket, as these extra virgin olive oils are sold through other channels, such as specialized street shops or online. They also export a large part of their production to countries like Japan, Germany, or the USA, where, strangely enough, they value extra virgin olive oil more than we do.

EVOO production is expensive

If we Counting, we need more than 12 kg of olives for a good extra virgin oil. Considering that the collection is still quite manual, this would correspond to about 30 minutes of shaking by an operator.

AOn the other hand, each olive tree produces no more than about 50 kg per year, so we won’t produce more than about 5 bottles per year. Therefore, if we really want to do good business, we need a lot of olive trees!

That’s why these oils are priced at more than 10-15 euros per 500ml bottle. And in fact, they’re not expensive! The margins they leave behind are still quite modest. In Tokyo or New York, the same oil easily reaches prices of 50 euros.

The olives are harvested quickly and transported to the oil mill (almazara). There, the olives are selected according to variety, quality, and ripeness and carefully separated from the leaves, stems, and twigs before washing.

It is important not to damage the olives and to mill them as quickly as possible, otherwise a high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) will be obtained. For this reason, milling takes place 24 hours after harvesting.

The resulting olive paste is gently beaten, an important step to achieve maximum flavor and character in the olive oil. Later, the olive paste is poured into a carafe to separate the oil and water.