The International Agreement on Olive Oil in 1986 reserves the nomination
of “Olive Oil” only for the oil coming from the fruit of the
olive tree, with the exclusion of those ones taken by the use of dissolutions
and the mixture with oils of a different nature. The term cannot be used
with oils of marc of pressed olives.
Within olive oils we can distinguish between the following ones:
It is the olive taken by means of mechanical processes or another physical
means in conditions, specially thermal, which do not cause the alteration
of the oil, with the only treatment of washing, the decantation, the drying,
and the filtration. It is a natural product that keeps the taste, the aroma
and the vitamins of the fruit.
It has the personality of the area where it comes from. Virgin olive oils
can be classified into:
Extra: with an absolutely irreproachable flavour and with
acidity (expressed in oily acid) not superior to one grade.
Virgin: with an irreproachable flavour and acidity not superior
to 2º. (It is also named fine during the phases of production and wholesale
commerce)
Ordinary: with a good taste and acidity not superior to 3.3º.
Lampante: with a faulty taste or acidity superior to 3.3º.
It
is obtained by the process of refinement of virgin olive oils and acidity
not superior to 0.5º by means of techniques of refinement that do not
produce alteration in the initial structure of glycerine. (Normally, lampante
olive oil is used by cutting the
acidity by means of refinement, as well as by counteracting the taste).
Mixture
of virgin olive oils different from the lampante and refined olive oil, with
acidity not superior to 1.5º. This one is the most consumed in Spain.
It
is obtained by means of dissolutions taken from marc of pressed olives, a
subproduct of the olive, with the exclusion of the oils obtained by procedures
of re-sterility and mixture of oils of different procedures.
It
is obtained by refination of orujo crude oil and it has a no high acidity upper
0,5º.
