What Makes an Olive Oil Extra Virgin?

Have you ever wondered what makes an oil "virgin olive oil" compared to "extra virgin olive oil?" Or oils simply labelled as "olive oil" or "refined olive oil?" The olive oil grading system can be difficult to follow when the various terms are not explained and labelling enforcement is abysmal. 

Extra virgin olive oil meets the strictest standards in terms of chemical testing and sensory analysis. As defined by its production, EVOO must be made from the first pressing of fresh olives, without the use of heat or extraction solvents, and it must pass certain chemical and sensory tests. In other words, the oil can only be extracted from the olives by mechanical means, and heat or extraction solvents can't be used to obtain the oil. Thus, all extra virgin olive oil, by definition, is both cold pressed and first pressed. After ticking all those boxes, the oil is tested in a certified lab for biophenol levels, free fatty acid percentage, and peroxide percentage. These metrics are  indicators of the olive health and quality and freshness when they were harvested and crushed and they would indicate if the oil had been tampered with or improperly extracted. If the oil passes these tests and does not have any sensory defects whatsoever, only then can it truly be labelled as extra virgin olive oil.

Virgin olive oil must adhere to the exact same extraction standards as EVOO and must undergo the same testing. An oil is classified as virgin olive oil if it does not meet the standards set out for EVOO, but rather it ends up one step down on the quality scale, so to say. A common example of the difference is in the free fatty acid measurement of the oil. An extra virgin olive oil must have a free fatty acid (FFA) percentage of less than 0.8%. If the percentage exceeds that number, the oil would qualify as virgin olive oil if the FFA percentage, provided it does not exceed 2%. Free fatty acid percentage can be indicative of the quality of the olives at crushing; a higher FFA number is often the result of too much time between harvesting and crushing or of old and infected olives. 

Lampante olive oil is a not-for-consumption grade of olive oil that is still extracted by only mechanical means but is of such low quality that it is only used for industrial applications. It can be refined for consumption but does not contain the prized sensory attributes and health benefits that are present in the higher grades of oil. Lampante oil has unacceptably high levels of FFAs, over 3.3%. 

The remaining grades of olive oil are ones that include refining in their production. Refining is a process by which heat is applied to the oil to remove sensory defects and other undesirable attributes.

Refined olive oil is produced by taking olive oil that has been mechanically extracted but did not pass the testing to become virgin olive oil and applying heat to refine it into an oil for consumption. While this is a way to "save" oil that could otherwise be waste, it creates an oil that has virtually none of the sensory attributes that make the higher grades so prized. The oil is lacking in flavour and the beneficial biophenols that confer so many health benefits. 

Olive oil is a blend of refined olive oil and virgin or extra virgin olive oil. As refining results in a very bland and tasteless oil by comparison, a small amount of VOO or EVOO is added to introduce some of the positive sensory attributes present in the higher grades of oil. These oils often have words like "pure" or "light" added on their labels. These terms are unregulated and do not mean anything specific or measurable, so they are simply marketing tactics to make their product seem authentic or superior. 

Olive pomace oils make up the remaining grades of olive oil, although these are significantly more scarce on grocery store shelves as they often aren't acceptable for consumption. Olive pomace is the solid matter that is left over once oil has been extracted from the crushed olives. It is a mixture of the pits, seed, skin, etc. along with a small amount of residual oil. 

Crude olive pomace oil is simply the oil extracted from the pomace matter using extraction solvents. As is, this oil cannot be consumed by humans and is used for technical and industrial applications.

Refined olive pomace oil is made by refining crude olive pomace oil to a place where it can be consumed. However, this oil has next to none of the beneficial health benefits of quality olive oils and can contain trans fats from the repeated heating during refining. 

Olive pomace oil is made by mixing refined olive pomace oil with a small amount of virgin or extra virgin olive oil. Once again, this addition of a ore quality oil imparts a slight taste to the oil to make it more palatable.