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|  This
section offers an interesting opportunity to find
out more on extra virgin olive oil and the Monini
world, through a summary of the most frequent
questions coming from our consumers.
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What
does the quality of olive oil depend on?
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The quality of oil depends
on various factors, which are all part of the entire
production cycle, from the selection of olives at
the correct point of ripeness, the kind of extraction
process, to the storage of oil. All these factors
contribute to determining the quality of the end
product. |
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How
can we recognize a quality Extra Virgin olive oil?
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Three
quality parameters can be directly checked by
consumers:
An extremely low price should alarm a careful
consumer
The acidity indicated on the label, which is necessary
but not sufficient
The sensorial evaluation, that is to say, if there
is an intense olive taste together with more or
less intense bitter and spicy sensations, evidence
of a fresh olive taste and the absence of defects
due to excessive ripening of the olives or bad
oil extraction. |
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How
are quality olives produced? |
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In
order to obtain a good oil, it is necessary to
start with a high quality raw material which in
our case is the olive.
It is crucial that olive groves are well organized
and located in areas with a natural disposition
for olive growing.
The main points can be summed up as follows:
The use of the best olive varieties, the most
suitable for the particular climate of that area,
for the water available and for the type of soil.
The trees must have a correct density and be pruned
every year, fertilized and protected against the
most common parasites of the olive tree.
Only this way it is possible to produce high quality
olives. |
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How
are olives picked? |
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The olive
picking method considerably affects the quality
of the oil produced.
In brief, these are the most common picking methods:
HAND PICKING
: Olive picking directly from the tree
BROWSING: The olives are picked directly from
the branches. It is the oldest method and it causes
less damage to both the tree and the olives. The
olives are picked either by hand or by using a
sort of a comb (“pettine”) that rakes
the branches (the comb can also be mechanically
activated).
BEATING: the branches of the tree are beaten/shaken
with a pole that makes the olives fall into nets
previously placed under the olive tree. This method
is up to three times more efficient than the browsing
but it can damage smaller branches and the tree
itself.
OLIVE PICKING FROM THE GROUND: this method is
used when the olives are overripe and naturally
fall on the ground. The olives are picked either
by hand or with brooms. The disadvantage is that
the olives at this stage are rotten and mouldy.
By falling on the ground an coming in contact
with the soil, olives get damaged, thus worsening
the quality of oil. MECHANICAL PICKING SHAKING:
the tree is firmly held by a mechanical arm: it
shakes the tree making the olives fall into nets,
either attached to the arm or spread on the ground.
The olives are then picked up with special vacuum
machines. This method guarantees a high crop,
but it can be used only on plain surfaces. |
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What
is “abbacchiatura (knocking down with a pole)”
or “beating”? |
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It
is a system of picking olives from the olive tree
by shaking the branches with long poles and making
the olives fall in nets previously placed under
the trees. This is not a very rational system
as it can cause damages to the most tender branches
of the tree. |
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What
does “invaiatura” (darkening) mean? |
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It
is the moment of ripeness in which the drupe (olive)
changes colour from light green to violet to completely
black. Green or Black olives do not exist but
simply they are all green at first and then they
turn black while becoming ripe. If you happen
to find green olives, it means they have been
preserved in brine. The darkening index is a visual
index useful to indicate the colouring phases
of the varieties of olives:
0: Olives with an intense or dark green surface
1: Olives with yellow or green/yellow surface
2: Olives with a yellow surface and red spots
3: Olives with a pinkish or light violet surface
4: Olives with a black surface and completely
green pulp
5: Olives with a black surface and violet pulp
in half the olive
6: Olives with a black surface and violet pulp
to the seed
7: Olives with a black surface and completely
dark pulp |
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Is
the Extra Virgin oil from the first squeeze better?
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This statement
does not make sense because all oils come from a
first and only squeeze. |
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What
do “cold-pressed” and “cold-squeezed”
mean? Are they synonymous of better quality? |
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No!
“Cold-pressed” or “cold-squeezed”
is absolutely not an indicator of better quality
of the product. Such claims only indicate one
of the methods of extraction (torchio: milling
by traditional pressing system) but surely not
the quality. The quality is not guaranteed because
if poor quality olives are “cold-pressed”,
the oil obtained will be Extra Virgin but poor
quality! In addition, such an extraction system
does not guarantee that hygienic standards are
respected since during various stages of extraction,
olives are continuously exposed to air (thus favouring
oxidation) and are in contact with the dry residues
of previous pressing. |
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What
is a Panel Test? |
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A Panel Test is an aroma and
taste examination of the product carried out by
a group of at least eight professional tasters,
who memorize the type and the intensity of the
good qualities and defects and register the results
on a form, where all the good sensations (fruity,
apple, grass, leaf, bitter and spicy) and the
negative sensations (wine flavour, mould, earthy,
fustiness, rancid and sludge) are listed. Conventionally,
a score of 6.5 is given when no defects are reported.
The Panel Test examination is compulsory for Extra
Virgin olive oils (it is the only food product
whose minimum chemical and sensorial characteristics
are governed by Law). In any case, the Law unfortunately
tolerates one point; this means Extra Virgin olive
oil can have a minimum score of 5.5 and therefore,
it can have defects. That is the main reason why
consumers are confused. On the supermarket shelves,
consumers find oils with labels indicating “Extra
Virgin”, but among them, some are defective,
some are acceptable, some are very good and some
are real “cru”. In addition, if we
consider that many consumers think of the intense
taste of olive oil (bitter, spicy, etc.) as a
defect, they are left with a choice of purchasing
oil from a company (big or small) they trust.
This sensorial method of evaluation called panel
test was regularised by COI (International Oil
Council) in 1987 and in 1991 was introduced by
law by the EU with the above tolerance of 5.5. |
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Is
it true that Extra Virgin is more fattening than
Pure olive oil or seed oils? |
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No,
all fats both of animal or vegetable origin give
our organism the same calories equal to 9 Kcal
per 1 gram Extra Virgin is better than the others
because of the kind of fat it contains. |
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Is
Extra Virgin olive oil difficult to digest? |
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As
far as its digestibility is concerned, we can
confirm that Extra Virgin olive oil is absolutely
the most digestible, firstly, because of the taste
it gives dishes as a dressing making them more
digestible and then, because of its balanced composition
of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fatty acids. In fact, compared to “all”
other vegetable and animal fatty acids, olive
oil has an advantage: it has a limited content
of saturated fatty acids (responsible for the
increase of LDL-cholesterol (the bad cholesterol)
in blood with the already well-known consequences,
such as the sclerosis of arteries, and possible
coronary cardiopathies). Furthermore, it contains
enough quantities of polyunsaturated fatty acids
(the essential fatty acids for every animal organism)
and high quantities of monounsaturated fatty acids,
which dramatically reduce LDL-cholesterol levels,
but they keep the content of HDL-cholesterol (the
good cholesterol) high. In addition, the main
monounsaturated fatty acid of olive oil, oleic
acid, stimulates the oesophageal sphincter (the
valve which prevents food from flowing back from
the stomach to the oesophagus) to close properly
and is beneficial in many cases of gastritis caused
by the faulty closing of this valve. Oleic acid
also stimulates the contraction of the gall bladder
and so, it favours the release of bile (that is
to say, fast digestion) and limits the formation
of gallstones. Therefore, saying that Extra Virgin
olive oil has a “heavy” taste is simply
confirming a common stereotype because in fact
tastier oil makes food more appetizing and more
digestible. Furthermore, if the taste of oil is
more intense, you will need a lower quantity of
it, which will save you money and bring greater
satisfaction to your palate. |
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Is
Extra Virgin olive oil better for frying?
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Thanks
to its content in fatty acids which are more stable
than those contained in seed oils, olive oil is
ideal for frying. In fact, its critical frying
temperature is definitely higher than the usual
frying temperature of food. The critical temperature
of other fats, such as butter and margarines,
is considerably lower and when frying these fats
can cause the formation of acroleins and other
oxidation derivatives harmful to health.
CRITICAL FRYING POINTS OF
OILS AND FATS: Critical Temperature
PALM 240°C
PEANUT 220°C
OLIVE 210°C
IDEAL FRYING TEMPERATURE 180°C
LARD, COCONUT 180°C
SUNFLOWER, SOY BEAN 170°C
GRAPE SEED, COLZA AND CORN 160°C
MARGARINE 150°C
BUTTER 110°C
As you can
see the critical temperature of olive oil is higher
than the ideal frying temperature of 180°C
for perfect frying. The critical temperatures
of oils extracted from coconut, sunflower, soy
beans, grape seeds, colza (or mixed seed oils),
lard, corn, margarine and butter are, on the contrary,
lower; that’s the reason why these oils
and fats are not indicated for frying.
From the above table you can see that the critical
temperatures for peanut and palm oils are higher,
that is why they have a better resistance. Yet,
these fats are richer in saturated fatty acids
and from the nutritional point of view they can
block the arteries and provoke the formation of
thrombi, which are the usual causes of pathologies,
such as cerebral thrombosis and infarction.
Compared to olive oil, the critical temperature
for Extra Virgin olive oil is slightly higher.
In any case, expert cooks and clever housewives
prefer to use olive oil. The reason being that
Extra Virgin olive oil, because of its strong
flavour adds a very intense flavour to the fried
food which may cover its flavour and give it a
dark colour, which is not as appreciated as the
typical golden yellow colour of fried food.
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What
is acidity? What does it indicate? |
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It
is the percentage of the free fatty acids present
in an oil and indicates the level of conservation
of olives used in extraction. Obviously olives
in a better state of conservation will result
in an oil with lower acidity. It is not possible
to determine acidity of an oil by simply tasting
it. It can be measured only through chemical analysis.
This is why it is necessary not to confuse the
intense and spicy flavour of fresh and healthy
oil with high acidity. |
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Is
Italian Extra Virgin olive oil the best in the world? |
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In
some areas in Italy (in Umbria, Toscana, Puglia,
Sicilia, etc.), thanks to particular cultivars
and to the climate, the world’s best quality
oils can be produced; but, in these same areas
as well as in others not as specialised in olive
growing and oil production, if “ The
7 Golden Rules” are not followed, defective
oils will be produced. |
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What
are “Polyphenols”? |
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They
are antioxidants, which slow down oxidation, in
the same way, if not better than vitamin E and
thus prevent cell ageing. They have a slightly
bitter and pungent taste, which characterizes
oils of high quality, they are widely found in
nature, not only in oils but also in fruit and
especially in grape skins to which they give colour |
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What
is the “drupe”? |
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It is the olive
fruit, of oval shape, composed of the skin, pulp
and seed. |
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What
does the word “cultivar” mean?
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This
word defines the variety of the olive plant of
the Olea Europea species. In Italy there are over
700 different kinds. |
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I
have heard about “fiscoli”, what are
they? |
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Fiscoli
are the disk shaped mats on which the olive paste
is spread after being crushed. They have a hole
in the middle and are usually made of nylon fibre.
Its weak point is the difficulty in cleaning as
it is an ideal habitat for bacteria and fungus
and they are usually washed only once during the
entire milling cycle which, because of their very
tight weave are almost impossible to wash thoroughly. |
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