What’s on those supermarket shelves – Lupi EVOO
admin | July 17, 2011Lupi Extra Virgin
Lot: L0331V HO2053
Purchased: Woolworths Cumberland Park, South Australia
Best Before: 07 2012, so presumably packed in July 2010
Package: Clear glass, screw cap.
Price: $AUD 5.86 for 500mL, $AUD 11.72 per litre (about $US11)
Source: “Blended and bottled in Italy from local and Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oils”
My measure of FFA: 0.75% (IOC limit 0.8%)
My measure of K232: 2.0 (IOC limit 2.5)
My measure of K270: 0.22 (IOC limit 0.22)
My tasting notes: Very overipe fruit with a tired aroma. There were tapenade flavours with a broad flat fatty finish. If you think this might be fresh and grassy because it is bottled in Italy then you are likely to be disappointed.
Recommended use: None that Ican think of.
Other notes: The acidity (while being under the official limit for EVOO) was in the top of the range, as were the measures for secondary oxidation. Oils with high acidities start smoking at much lower temperatures and have shorter shelf lives than oils with low acidity. Also the oil is packaged in clear glass. Everyone knows that this is bad for the shelf life of EVOO, so why do some producers continue with this practice?
The cleverly worded statement that the oil was “Blended and bottled in Italy from local and Mediterranean Extra Virgin Olive Oils” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Consumers should be informed of exactly where their food comes from – not what some clever marketer chooses to tell us. Given that most EVOO comes from the Mediterranean this ‘information’ is anything but informative.