Frantoio Ciriello

Content index

EVO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil How many times have we read EVO oil on the label, in a newspaper article, on a restaurant menu. E.V.O. is the acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, when we look for the word “extra virgin” in the dictionary we find: “Which has very strong characteristics of authenticity.” in fact, in the family of olive oils it is the best par excellence, both for chemical and organoleptic characteristics. According to international regulations, olive oils are defined and classified based on some criteria listed below: The technological process of obtaining: mechanical pressing of olives without any chemical manipulation (virgin oils); refining; solvent extraction; The chemical-physical and organoleptic parameters

How is it classified? The oil is classified into different categories based on the median of the defects and the median of the fruity attribute. An oil is therefore classified both in relation to precise chemical parameters and in relation to organoleptic parameters, both types have the same importance for classification purposes. It is sufficient that one of these does not comply with the established limits to downgrade the product. The category of excellence is Extra Virgin Olive Oil which is the result of an oil obtained exclusively from a mechanical extraction process, without the use of solvents or other chemical manipulations, it must not have been mixed with oils of other nature and must prove to be completely free of defects upon tasting and fully compliant with the chemical-physical parameters dictated by the regulations including free acidity (maximum acidity of 0.8%), the median of defects is zero, the median of fruity is greater than 0. Once the level of 0.8% free acidity has been exceeded, the EVO oil is downgraded to Virgin olive oil, the median of the defects is greater than 0, the median of the fruitiness is greater than 0. In turn, once the level of 2% free acidity has been exceeded, the virgin olive oil is downgraded to Lampante olive oil, a non-edible oil and therefore not marketable for consumption, with the median number of defects being greater than 3.5 , the median of fruitiness is equal to 0. This is why when an oil comes out of an oil mill it is certainly virgin, but it does not mean that it can be classified as extra virgin if the chemical and organoleptic parameters do not respect those of the category. For oil, as in all areas and sectors, the road to achieving excellence is long and not simple.

Features The chemical and organoleptic characteristics depend on the cultivar, the pedoclimatic environment, the cultivation system, the time and the olive harvesting system, the transport of the olives to the mill, the technology and methods of transformation and finally from conservation to packaging of the finished product. Each phase of the production cycle hides risks that can cause serious defects in the oil and which must be foreseen and avoided. Some of these factors cannot be modified, such as pedoclimatic conditions, but in most cases they can be influenced by using appropriate measures, for example appropriate cultivation techniques, using adequate means for the extraction and storage of the oil. All processes are connected to each other, a lack, an incorrect execution of just one of the steps can seriously compromise the entire work of the entire supply chain. We at Frantoio Ciriello preserve every single phase of the production cycle with maximum attention and dedication with maximum supervision both in the fields and in the mill. The quality of the oil is made in the field, by pruning correctly, fertilizing adequately, defending the plants from adversity and parasites, harvesting the olives at the right level of ripeness and with the right methods, and is confirmed in the mill through adequate extraction technology and consolidates with correct conservation. Good Oil everyone, Giovanni Ciriello