After my clarification, above, that thread of discussion was dropped. It occurs to me that the information might be confidential or proprietary. If this is the case, or if you otherwise really aren’t in a position to answer, or prefer not to, I’ll cease being a pest.

I would, however, appreciate any information you might be able to disclose on this subject. If, for instance, the issue is that you don’t want to offend producers that scored low, could you cite a few examples (top 10s, or maybe top quartiles, or oils above some minimum threshold) — possibly a few from supermarket brands as well as boutique producers? I find it astonishingly difficult to get such information, and from both scientific reports and a few companies that do have information, I know that you can’t go by cultivar and peroxide levels alone: eg, the producers of two otherwise high-quality Koroneikis told me that their oils contained ≤ 150 ppm, when one might well have expected >350.

Thanks for whatever you can share. I really value your blog and your willingness to share your knowledge and expertise, but again, if you just can’t say, please tell me so and I’ll respectfully stop bugging you.

Do you know where I could find studies on the amount of olive oil that is refrigerated versus not refrigerated in a domestic setting?

Cheers!
Dom

If you can indulge me, I have an unrelated question: I just saw a bottle of olive oil that says it was pressed in late 2009, from the Fall 2008 fruit harvest. Is it normal for olives to be kept that long after harvesting before pressing? Is this required for some kind of further ripening or maturation, or is it just typical practice, or is it (as I would, in my ignorance, assume) a good sign that the fruits will be so old as to go into the press already somewhat peroxidized and denuded of polyphenols?

Thanks again!

You replied, re my request about EVOO polyphenol content, that “This info was reported in the scientific journal which I cited at the bottom of the blog. … You would have to email the corresponding author of the article to find out what the oil was.”

But you *are* the corresponding author . The data for which I’m asking is: “The polyphenol level of the oil used in the study was a massive 772 mg/kg. This is around 3 times the average polyphenol level of your typical EVOO (Gawel and Rogers 2009). ” I downloaded this article, from teh link you helpfully provide in your citation list; brands vs polyphenol content are not given.

Sorry for being unclear, and thanks again.

Re the oil you mentioned. This info was reported in the scientific journal which I cited at the bottom of the blog. It is unusual for the commercial identity of the product to be given. You would have to email the corresponding author of the article to find out what the oil was.

What an amazing resource this blog is — thank you so much!

Questions on this post:

- what does it mean for an olive oil to ‘tire’? I actually keep my EVOO in the fridge all the time, which usually necessitates letting it partially thaw for ~10-20 mins into a very thick but pourable goo. Is this a worse idea than keeping it at room temp? (I am asking only in terms of polyphenols and peroxidation — I like the flavor of EVOO, but am not a true connoisseur thereof).

- Can you disclose which brands of EVOO that you tested had which polyphenol counts?

Thanks!