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Oils and Fats News
OILS & FATS
Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST
Olive oil in NZ reviewed by
Consumer magazine
You can pay top dollar for extra-virgin olive oil. But the best
indicator of a good oil is freshness - the top oils in Consumer’s
tasting were pressed this year.
Extra-virgin olive oil is produced without heat or chemicals.
The International Olive Council (IOC) says that extra-virgin oil
must meet certain analytical criteria and be free of defects when
the oil is tasted by a sensory panel trained to IOC standards.
‘Consumer’ was looking for well-balanced
oils that had good aroma and flavour
and no defects. Colour has nothing
to do with the quality of olive oil. Oils
are tasted in blue glasses so the colour is
masked.
They were disappointed in the overall
results. Too many oils (mainly imported)
fell into the “unacceptable” category when
tasted. Retailers and importers need to do
a better job of packaging and displaying
extra-virgin olive oil, ‘Consumer’
recommended.
Extra-virgin olive oil is an expensive
semi-luxury product. It should
be looked-after better so that consumers
receive the quality product
they’re paying for.
Packing it in clear bottles and
exposing it to artificial light for long
periods will only result in the oil deteriorating.
Kiwi oils came out top
All the oils passed ‘Consumer’s’
chemical analysis, but there was a
wide range in their sensory quality.
Fresh is best! The three top oils
in the tasting were pressed in May
or June 2008.
The Peta Mathias, Olivo and The
Village Press Frantoio oils all had the
qualities the judges were looking
for - good aromas with lots of olive
fruity flavours. They were also well
balanced.
These three oils were also in dark
bottles, which are better protected
from the light. Clear bottles are a
problem, especially in supermarkets
where the oils sit under fluorescent
lights. Some supermarkets are open for 24 hours and this increases
the light-exposure.
The Borges, Pam’s and Paul Holmes Leccino oils were also
very good. But the Borges and Pam’s had no date marking. A
fresh batch of these may have been assessed but there’s no way
of knowing and other Borges and Pam’s on shop shelves may
be older.
Tired oils
The most common complaint about the unacceptable oils
was that they were tired. Tired oils taste “old” and not fresh - it’s
a sign an oil is starting to go rancid. But many oils don’t give
you enough information on the labels to judge.
Most oils state a best-before date, although
that’s no guarantee of quality. Many of the
unacceptable oils were well within their bestbefore
date. Colonna, La Espanola and Mas
Portell Arbequina were judged unacceptable
even though they had best-before dates in
2010 - that’s over a year away.
The problem with best-before dates is you
don’t know how old the oil is. Six oils stated
their pressed-on date. This is more helpful because
you know exactly how old the oil is.
We’d like to see pressed-on dates for all
extra-virgin olive oil.
Some oils didn’t do as well as they did
in our 2006 tasting. Kapiti was one of our
top oils in 2006 but this time our panel rated
it poorly. The producers are concerned
that their oil isn’t being stored properly in
shops and is following up this issue with
retailers.
Ravida also got a lower rating. The importer
told ‘Consumer’ the size of Ravida
shipments has been reduced to ensure a
fresher product in New Zealand.
Consumer recommends
Three Kiwi olive oils were the best in
the tasting. They also came in dark bottles
and had pressed-on as well as best-before
dates:
The Village Press Frantoio, Olivo, Peta
Mathias.
Buying advice
• Buy the freshest oil possible. Look
for a “pressed-on” date, as bestbefore
dates aren’t a good indicator of
quality. ‘Consumer’ would like to see
“pressed-on” dates for all extra-virgin
olive oil.
• Heat and light will affect oil quality.
February/March 2009
21