California Producers of Organic Olive Oil

Many California producers have optioned to make the gourmet treat classified as EXTRA VIRGIN and market thru gourmet food stores, wineries, and farmers markets. It is common that these oils are produced on smaller estate orchards, hand picked to not bruise the fruit, processed within 48 hours, cold pressed and either filtered or left unfiltered for a more robust flavor. It is the most natural health food product available.

The CALIFORNIA OLIVE OIL COUNCIL has pettitioned the United States Dept of Agriculture to adopt the International standards for grades of olive oil. Then the truth in labeling can be ascertained.

Olive Oil Info

WARNING

Since the US does not belong to the IOOC, commercial producers of olive oil have no regulations on labeling and thus may misrepresent it contents.

Articles

Lable Wording

"100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.


"Made from refined olive oils" means that the taste and acidity were chemically controlled.

"Light olive oil" means refined olive oil, with less flavour. All olive oil has 120 kcal/tbsp. (34 kJ/ml).

"From hand-picked olives" implies that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen in order to increase yield.

"First cold press" is generally a purely commercial wording with no factual meaning. It suggests that the oil in bottles with this label is the "first oil that came from the first press" of the olives and that no heat is used. This is incorrect.

First of all, "cold" does not define any precise temperature. A certain exception is made for the European regulation which requires that the processing temperature be below 27 °C in order to be named "cold pressed". In cooler regions like Tuscany or Liguria the olives collected in November and ground often at night are too cold to be processed efficiently without heating. The paste is regularly heated above the environmental temperatures, which may be as low as 10-15 °C, in order to extract the oil efficiently with only physical means. Olives pressed in warm regions like Southern Italy or Northern Africa may be pressed at significantly higher temperatures although not heated. While it is important that the pressing temperatures be as low as possible (generally below 35 °C) there is no international reliable definition of "cold pressed".

Furthermore there is no "second" press of virgin oil, so the term "first press" is meaningless.

The label may indicate that the oil was bottled or packed in a stated country. This does not necessarily mean that the oil was produced there. The origin of the oil may sometimes be marked elsewhere on the label; it may be a mixture of oils from more than one country.

What makes good olive oil? Print E-mail
By Steven joseph

 Pure Olive Oil and Light Olive Oil are not as the names indicate. The former is considered lower quality produced using refining processes, while the latter is merely lighter in colour and flavour and is not low in fat content as some people might think.

When you next visit the supermarket for a good olive oil read the labels, which should be clearly marked and graded by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC).
A good quality olive oil starts with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), which is a superior grade of olive oil that is produced from the first pressing of olives by physical means, or centrifugation, and it cannot contain any refined oils. Also, it has less than 0.8% acidity (FFA).
For centuries health experts have advocated the consumption of olive oil in preference to other edible oils. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has more antioxidants and may reduce the production of bad cholesterols, alleviate digestive problems and also help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer.
Then theres Virgin Olive Oil, which is similar to Extra Virgin, but with slightly higher acidity (less than 2%). Likewise, Virgin Olive Oil cannot contain any refined oil.
Then we come to the common blended Olive Oil, which is often cheaper because it contains mainly refined oils blended with virgin olive oil. This adds a milder flavour and mild aroma and is up to 3.3% free acidity. Pure Olive Oil is good for cooking and frying and contains less antioxidants.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil should display fruity characteristics as it is a natural olive fruit juice. Good oils should have a good balance of fruitiness, bitterness and pungency and above all should be fresh.
Australians grow their own olives in certain parts of the country. One of the most respected growers is the Pukara Estate in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales. The cool winters allow the olive trees to rest and recuperate before the long hot summer that follows and these climatic conditions, as well as the terrain, provide the perfect environment to grow premium quality olives.
Pukara Estate has won numerous respected awards around Australia for their products since 2003 which demonstrates their distinctive quality. They distribute their products throughout Australia to gourmet and fine food stockists, including the online gourmet and fine food shop Australian Tru Blue , where in a couple of clicks you can purchase a wide range of premium olive oils for every special dining occasion.

For more information about olive oil visit www.australiantrublue.com.au
 
RocketTheme Joomla Templates

© 2009 OliveOak Ranch. All rights reserved. valid XHTML and CSS