What’s on those supermarket shelves?
admin | July 17, 2011So here are my recent reviews of what I found in my local supermarkets –
Cobram Estate Rich and Robust EVOO (AUS) 14/8/2011
OLLO Fresh and Fruity EVOO (AUS) 14/8/2011
Olive Grove EVOO (AUS) 30/7/2011
Colativa EVOO (ITA) 30/7/2011
Lupi EVOO (EU)
Ollo ‘Mild and Mellow” EVOO (AUS)
Always Fresh EVOO (AUS)
Bertoli EVOO (EU)
Recently I trotted off to a couple of my local supermarkets in and around Cumberland Park – a quiet middle class area in Adelaide, South Australia and purchased a couple of olive oils labeled as extra virgin from the back of the shelf.
As a professional scientist I conduct chemical analysis every day. Ok I work with wine, but many of the basic analyses that are used for wine and olive oil are essentially the same. We measure the acidity in wine exactly the same way as oil scientists’ measure free fatty acidity, and we use a method called spectrophotemetry routinely, in the same manner which olive oil chemists do.
I analysed these bottles of olive oil for free fatty acidity and the recognised spectro measures that are used to determine the “freshness” of EVOO (K232 and K270). Free fatty acidity is a basic but reliable measure of oil quality as high values suggest that either the olives were damaged in some way or had undergone some fermentation prior to being processed into oil. High levels of absorbance at the wavelength of 232nm and 270nm are indicators of secondary and further oxidation respectively.
In addition, I’ve previously trained and led a panel of tasters that was accredited by the International Olive Council. These panels are trained primarily to rate the intensity of defects in order to classify oils as extra virgin, virgin and lampante grades. As such I’m pretty familiar with the sensory characteristics of both good and poor quality olive oils.
I need to stress that I’m making no claims about these brands, but only what I measured in those particular bottles. The adjacent bottles on that supermarket shelf may have been completely different, but then again they might not. I’ll let you sort out that dilemma for yourself. While I use accepted methods using good scientific practice, I’m not claiming that my analysis is in any way ‘official’. But how else can anyone get a feel for what is actually out there. The importers and local olive industry organisations measure these things, but they don’t release their findings. The supermarkets don’t measure anything either, but then again why should they, as EVOO is just one of 1000’s of items they stock. When local industry organisations have published outcomes they have been accused of a lack of objectivity. And who else cares?
Next week – a couple more oils, but again from different supermarkets.