Lore • The Olive Tree • The Olive • Harvest • Press • Olive Oil
Sales • Classification • Geography • Uses • Flavors • Storage • Taste
Preferences/Sales/Types
Customers tend to prefer oil from their own country of origin. We import olive oil from Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey. We broker French.
Subsequent to 1953, olive oil imports had were small/steady, always somewhere between 50-60 million pounds.
Olive oil represents no more than 3.1% of production, and 3.2%of exports of the group of 9 vegetable fats/oils during 1996/7 – 1999-2000, but was responsible for 34% of dollar sales ($400 million +). Olive oil outsells corn, peanut, safflower, and sunflower oils. Vegetable oil’s volume sales are roughly 60million gallons, 30% showing a repeated decline. Canola oil is in second place, with 30 million gallons, an 11% increase over 1997. In 2002, olive oil triggered a 6.5%increase in retail dollar sales, based on data from Nielson. In 2002, olive oil was the only pourable category to show an increase in retail dollar sales amidst a declining market for other pourable oil. Supermarket buyers continue to realize that the sale of olive oil presents a “win-win” situation, since they enjoy higher profit as their customers enjoy olive oil’s taste and health attributes.
Consumers who are current, and likely, purchasers of olive oil:
- primary shoppers, 25—54 years old
- high income; over $40,000
- educated beyond high school
- suburban based
- Interested in health related issues.
The key messages to consumers are health and versatility:
- Olive oil offers a taste benefit unmatched by any other cooking or salad oil
- Olive oil is a premium quality product made with olives harvested/pressed within 48 hours
- Olive oil is a pure, natural product requiring minimal processing
- Olive oil is healthier than other oils because it is highly monounsaturated, which helps provide healthy benefits
Olive oil is analogous to wine in many ways and often the same terminology is used to describe the organoleptic properties of olive oil as herbaceous, citrusy, grassy. These comparisons are appropriate since, like wine, olive oil can vary greatly depending on the varieties used, the terrain, the methods of production, and hand of the producer. However, time is the enemy of olive oil and ideally, it should be consumed within a year of harvest. The other main difference is price – while a bottle of olive oil can cost the same, the wine lasts for one meal, two at most. The oil, thankfully, will last for many meals and consequently, is very affordable.
87% of households purchase oils/shortenings. Each spent $15 annually, made purchases 5x per year, spent $3 on the sku, purchased it singly, and bought it every 50+ days. 83% of these households purchased oil/shortening more than 1x per year, thought it was special 27% of the time, and 5% buy it with a manufacturer coupon. 95% of households bought oil/shortening in a supermarket, vs alternative channels. How did olive oil purchase history compare? 31% of households purchase olive oil, spend $10.25 annually and buy it 2x per year. They spend an average of $5.35, buy one at a time, and buy every 85 days. 44% of these households are repeat buyers, and 33% purchased on deal (perceived), while 5% used a coupon. 85% of these households buy olive oil in supermarkets – the lowest percentage of any oil.
Olive oil flavors can be mild (delicate, light, smooth, buttery), or strong (full blown, olive flavor). Texture can vary from light too viscous, the color from green to gold. Taste can be like an almond, or bland, fatty, fluid, fruity, peppery, rustic, and/or sweet. A peppery taste in olive oil causes a raspy, burning sensation in the back of the throat, which causes a pleasant discomfort...an aftertaste is the flavor of the oil. Since the law does not tell you how the oil was extracted, nor the acidity (which can hide a multitude of sins), aroma, color, flavor and grade are diverse, and can vary from year to year, and from region to region. Olive oil, like wine, can have its vintages -- the only sure way to determine preference is by sampling...like wine tasting, a slow and cumulative learning process.
Old timers rub their hands with olive oil, smell for aroma (olfactory is the most sensitive), sip it into their mouths, spit it out, then pause for the aftertaste. The gustative sense can perceive bitter, sweet, acid, or salt.
62% of olive oils are used in general cooking, as a medium for frying or sautéing. The remainder of olive oil usage can be broken down as follows: 58% use it in salads or over vegetables, 27% use it as a substitute for butter or margarine, and 22% use it in baked goods
Olive oil, then, has nuances...like wine; olive oil is a living product, made from the fruit of the earth. Among edible oils (almond, coconut, peanut, safflower, and soy, to name a few) only olive oil is produced from a fruit, rather than from seeds, nuts or grains. Olive oil is natural oil, essentially a fruit juice, and enjoys a longer shelf life than other oils. Like wine, olive oil has its vintages -- some better than others.
Olive oil is 4-5 times more resistant to heat than seed oils...seed oils deteriorate after the first fry use. Olive oil can be used 4-5x before the demolition of nutritional compounds. Olive oil “grows” in volume as it heats -- which makes it highly efficient, and able to survive repeated use. Olive oil gives the food a crisp and caramelized crust that prevents greasiness from searing into it. Seed oils have one quality -- price...olive oils, many. Olive oils are distinguished by taste, and process...by flavor, color, aroma and oleic acid content.
Olive oil should be kept in a cool, dark place in your house - a cool pantry is ideal, or a cupboard/wine cellar. Bottles of olive oil should not be refrigerated, as condensation can occur. Olive oil should be used within a year or two, at the most.
Fueled by the American love affair with the robust flavors of Mediterranean cooking, the growing interest in health/fashion of fine olive oil has led to an explosion of sales. Choosing the right oil, for the right job, has become as tricky as finding the perfect marriage of food and wine.
With interest, however, has come confusion, misinformation, and indecisiveness about olive oil...part of what has fueled the controversy is how it is graded, which has always varied from country to country. While the 1982 regulations passed by the FDA are better worded than the European laws, there are not proper standards here in the United States...an American oil labeled “extra virgin” need be no different from an olive oil labeled “pure." Let us talk to this point briefly.
While the production, customization (type of olives /extraction used), and sale of Mediterranean olive oil is controlled by national standards, laid out by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), and adopted by the European Economic Community (EEC), all products must pass government inspection before export (98% of the world’s olive oil producing regions adhere to the IOOC agreement under the administration of the EEC).
The EEC also fixes some methods of testing, and utilizable characteristics for the commercial categories of olive oil. The European Commission has asked EU ministers to approve the extension for an additional three years of aid payments to inspection agencies charged with overseeing the payments of olive oil producers. The continuation of the existing handouts is expected to cost the EU 43.5m (Euros) from 2002 until 2005, when it is anticipated that a new system will be introduced. These inspection agencies are charged with “overseeing compliance with regulatory obligations in the Member States producing olive oil.” Without agreement from ministers, they would run out of funding; the olive oil sector has been at the center of a series of allegations regarding fraud in EU subsidy applications. Let us look at the International Olive Oil agreement of 1963, which talks to “acidity” and “grades."
Acidity is perceived by consumers as the “sharpness” at the back of the mouth. The percentage of acidity is a measure of the maturity of the olives at the moment of the harvest. Viscosity refers to the body of the oil, or to use wine-tasting terminology, the “legs” of the oil.
Effective November 1, 2003, new regulations define 6 types:
- Extra virgin: up to 0.8% acidity
- Virgin: up to 2.0% acidity
- Lampante: more than 2% acidity
- Pomace/Refined – not more than 3.0% acidity
- Olive Oil – refined/virgin olive oil
- Crude Pomace – solvents
Classification of Olive Oil
Olives are always pressed without heat, and olive oil is pressed only once -- but can receive extra processing to neutralize the acid, or to eliminate a bad odor. Olive oil accounts for 3.2% of world production of edible vegetable oil and 3.3% of world consumption.
Extra virgin can be defined as a “first press," physically extracted (cold press -- special mechanical and thermal conditions that do not lead to deterioration), with an acidity level of less than 0.08%, and considered to have an intense fruit flavor and distinct aroma and taste. The smoke point for extra virgin is the lowest of all olive oil varieties, 406 F, which makes it the least desirable for frying.
Virgin can be defined as the “first press," mechanically extracted, pure “juice” neither mixed nor refined, with an acid content below 3%. It has a mild aroma/taste, and a fruity flavor.
Olive oil is a blend of extra virgin, virgin and refined olive oil with acidity above 1% but less than 3%. Mixed oils are classified by type. One type of pure olive oil is “Riviera," which is a blend of extra virgin (10 - 25%), and refined “A” olive oil (75 - 90%). “Riviera” is a term derived from ancient times, as processed from the “Riviera." It is full-bodied with a mild flavor and used primarily in pasta sauces and salad dressings.
Extra Light now shows the strongest growth at retail. Extra Light is typically a blend of 5% extra virgin/95% refined “A." Light appeals to American consumers, who wish to use more monounsaturated fat, but means a lighter color, and aroma with a mild flavor -- not calorie count. It is used for baking and excellent for sautéing stir-fry.
Olive pomace oil is a blend of refined olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil. Pomace is the crushed olive material that remains after pressing. Oil is extracted with the use of solvents, then refined. After refining, the oil is blended with virgin olive oil to produce olive pomace oil.
Olive oil sprays are a blend of olive oil that contains neither alcohol nor preservatives. In Italy you find regional pressings, in California; they have pioneered the introduction of varietals. In California, consistency is fine tuned with varietals.
Foodservice operators typically stock extra virgin, pure, and pomace olive oils. Extra virgin is the “creme de la creme”-- and where distributors/retailers should make the best margin. Pure has been the tonnage item and the primary ingredient for most Caesar salads. Pomace is a price item, commonly “footballed” and can be today’s volume leader.
Olive oil is refined when inedible, though it is the least refined of oils commonly consumed. The refining process involves neutralization of acids (alkalis and heat); bleaching of undesirable color (clay, carbon, and heat); deodorizing (steam -- destroy remaining free fatty acids and antioxidants); and winterization (cooling and filtering).
The intense heat necessary for refining produces a bland, colorless oil that is then mixed with varying amounts (1 - 25%) of extra virgin olive oil or virgin oil to reintroduce organoleptic qualities. The percentage of the mix is not set by law, and does not have to be stated on the label. Typically, fats used in bakery items fall into three categories:
- Butter/animal fat
- Vegetable Shortening
- Oils
Most products depend on oil for flavor, form, and texture.
Hexane, a petroleum derivative, is the most popular choice for solvent treatment, though triclorethylene and carbon sulfide have been used. Solvents facilitate maximum extraction of residue oil, leaving a by-product of only 1 percent leftover fat that is used as fuel, or, if the pits are removed, for granular livestock feed.
Pomace oils are extracted from olive paste, using solvents. After pressing/centrifuge operations have removed the oil and water from the olive, pomace is what remains, which is then blended with extra virgin olive oil to produce a product used by many restaurants. Pomace is typically 5% extra virgin and 95% refined “B” olive oil.
People ask if olive oil is hydrogenated -- the answer is “no." Hydrogenation is adding hydrogen molecules to a liquid fat, like corn/safflower oil, to make it a little more solid, like margarine. Hydrogenation can prevent rancidity in some cooking oils, like cottonseed oil. Hydrogenated fats like margarine/all vegetable shortening makes our snack food crisper.
Freezing Olive Oil
We get questions about freezing olive oil, such as: what are the clouds in my olive oil, will olive oil freeze in the refrigerator, is freezing olive oil good or bad for it, and does the way it freezes say anything about its quality? We wish to answer below.
Most manufactures preset refrigerator temperatures to around 37°F. Chemistry texts list the freezing point of pure oleic acid at around 39°F. Olive oil manufactures don’t generally list a freezing temperature because it is quite variable depending on the olive variety and ripeness of the olive at processing. Unlike the properties of an element or simple compound like water, olive oil is made up of hundreds of chemicals, many of which change with every extraction.
Like most fruit, olives have waxes on their epidermis (epicarp) to protect them from insects, desiccation, and the elements. These natural waxes are what allow an apple to be shined, for instance. If an oil is sent to a cold climate, or if it will be used in a product like salad dressing where it will be stored in the refrigerator, it is often “winterized” (chilled and filtered) to remove the waxes and stearates. A standard test to determine if olive oil has been sufficiently winterized is to put it in an ice water bath (32°F) for 5 hours. No clouding or crystals should occur.
Congealed and Partially Solid Refrigerated Olive Oil
Oil that has not been winterized will clump and form needle-like crystals at refrigerator temperatures as the longer chain fats and waxes in the oil congeal, but the oil will not usually harden completely unless chilled further. Some olive varieties from waxes that produce long thin crystals, others from waxes that congeal into rosettes, clumps, clouds, a swirl of egg white like material, or white sediment that the consumer may fear represents spoilage. These visual imperfections also may form outside the refrigerator during the winter when oil is exposed to cold temperatures during transport. The white color in the hardened oil does not indicate spoilage.
Chilling or freezing olive oil does not harm it, and the oil will return to its normal consistency when it is warmed. The ideal temperature to store olive oil to reduce oxidation but to avoid clouding is around 50°F.
Actually Freezing Temperature
To determine the actual freezing temperature, put several oils in the freezer with a thermometer. At 40°F, most of the oils had not hardened or formed any crystals. At 35°F, most were firm enough that they could not be poured but were as soft as butter at room temperature. As the temperature lowered, more components of the oil solidified. At 10°F, the oils were hard enough that a fork could not penetrate them. Determining at what point to call the oil “frozen” is a matter of semantics. This slow increase in hardening as the temperature is lowered is in sharp contrast to a pure substance such as water that switches from a liquid to solid phase at an exact temperature.
Winterized oils have been chilled/filtered to reduce cloudiness. It is an additional refining stage. When olive oil is subjected to low temperatures, it should congeal, especially Extra Virgin olive oil, which is naturally higher in vegetable waxes. It starts as a slight cloudiness, which can increase to the point of near opacity. Additionally, Extra Virgin oil forms small white vegetable-wax pellets which settle near the bottom of the bottle. These white pellets are a sure sign of natural, high-quality olive oil when cold. Unfortunately, many uneducated consumers shy away from this appearance. For this reason, many olive oil producers subject their oil to a process known as “winterization,” which removes the beneficial vegetable waxes, in order to lower the point at which the oil congeals. Winterization also removes much of the oil’s quality, flavor and texture. Although high-quality olive oils will congeal at low temperatures, they will return to their original condition when brought back to room temperature, with no loss of quality.
The FDA recommends you limit all kinds of fat to 6 teaspoons a day for women, 9 for men. The FDA encourages consumers to use natural liquid oils like olive which contains no trans fatty acids, and cook in oils high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acid.