This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’

EU No: PDO-TR-02802 – 24.9.2021

PDO ( X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Republic of Turkey

3.   Description of agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product [listed in Annex XI]

Class 1.5. Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)

3.2.   Description of the product to which name in (1) applies

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is a natural extra virgin olive oil obtained from the Memecik variety of olives grown in Aydın, with a colour ranging from green to golden yellow, an intense fruit odour, and a pronounced bitterness and pungency. The high levels of bitterness and pungency are the sensory properties of ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ obtained from the Memecik variety, widely grown in the specified geographical area. In terms of fruitiness, the aroma of green almonds, green apples, and freshly mown grass is perceptible. The tasting panellist scores are also in the higher ranges for bitterness and pungency. The amount of free acidity in ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is ≤ 0,8 % in terms of oleic acid. The amount of peroxide should be ≤ 18 meq active oxygen/kg oil, and the total phenolic content should be ≥ 100 mg/kg. ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is rich in luteolin and sterol content. The amount of luteolin, an important phenolic compound, should be a minimum of 45 mg/kg. The total amount of sterol should be > 1 000 mg/kg.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is produced exclusively from olives, specifically the Memecik variety grown in the specified geographical area. The Memecik variety, a standard variety included in the Registration and Certification list of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is variety of olives grown in the Southern Aegean Region of Turkey (the provinces of Aydın, İzmir, and Muğla). However, the best quality Memecik olive oil is obtained from the province of Aydın. The Memecik olive variety constitutes 75 % of the olives grown in Aydın.

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

Operations related to the production of the raw material and its processing must be undertaken within the specified geographical area. Within that area, the steps of the process related to the production and processing of the raw material can be listed as follows:

1.	Harvesting of olives.

2.	Cleaning and washing of olives.

3.	Crushing of olives.

4.	Kneading of olives and malaxation.

5.	Extraction of oil from olive paste.

6.	Separation of olive mill wastewater from olive oil.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

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3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

In addition to the compulsory information required in accordance with legislation on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, labels must include the following:

—	the name of the designation ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’;

—	the trade name and address or short name and address or registered mark of the producer;

—	the European Union PDO logo.

4.   A concise definition of the geographical area

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is produced within the boundaries of Aydın province. Aydın has been an important settlement centre since ancient times due to its geographical location. Its neighbours are İzmir and Manisa in the north, Muğla in the south and Denizli in the east. The western region is limited to the Aegean Sea coast. Aydın province has 17 districts: Efeler, Bozdoğan, Buharkent, Çine, Germencik, İncirliova, Karacasu, Karpuzlu, Koçarlı, Köşk, Kuyucak, Kuşadası, Nazilli, Söke, Sultanhisar, Didim and Yenipazar.

5.   Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

The olive tree grows in regions dominated by mild and rainy winters, dry summers and partially cool and rainy springs. A Mediterranean climate prevails in Aydın. Summers are hot and dry and winters rainy. Snowfall is very rare. Aydın’s climate provides the most suitable conditions for olive production, with an annual average temperature of 17,6 °C and annual precipitation of 580-1 000 mm. The average number of rainy days is 80,6, while average precipitation is 677,5 mm/year.

The air currents from the west are especially effective in Aydın. The wind direction is mostly east-southeast, followed by southwest and west winds. In terms of climatic conditions and topographic structure, there are two different plant communities in Aydın, namely maquis and forest. Olives, figs, chestnuts and citrus fruits are among the province’s main agricultural products. Rural areas contain pine and similar species.

Aydın province occupies an area of 8 007 km2. There are fertile plains in the central and western parts of the province, and it is on the Büyük Menderes Basin, surrounded by mountains to the north and south. Since the Büyük Menderes Valley opens towards the sea, the winds that have a warming effect and precipitation from the sea can easily reach the interior. These winds give ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ its unique organoleptic properties, such as bitterness and pungency, and protect the olives against the olive fly during the ripening period. The low rate of damage by the olive fly ensures that the free acidity and peroxide content of the olive oil is low. Olive cultivation on the lands irrigated by the Menderes river does not require irrigation. ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ produced under these conditions acquires very fruity aromatic properties.

Human Factors

Olive cultivation in Aydın has been practiced since the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Aydınoğulları and Ottomans because of its economic value. This shows that olive farming and trading in olive oil have taken place in Aydın for over 2000 years. Olive production has been encouraged, especially by the Ottomans, and laws and orders issued for the commercialisation of wild varieties. With the construction of the Aydın-İzmir railway in particular, olive cultivation came into its own, with the setting up of cooperatives. As a result of the ‘nationalisation policy’ and with the support of the Committee of Union and Progress, the National Aydın Bank was established in 1914 and supportive measures taken.

Specificity of the product

‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ is produced using the Memecik olive variety traditionally grown in Aydın province. The high levels of bitterness and pungency, the sensory properties of ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’, are a very important distinguishing feature. In sensory tests conducted by professional tasting panellists, ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ scores highly, especially in terms of bitterness and pungency, positive characteristics of the product.

The Memecik olive variety also has a strong effect on the phenolic content of the olive oil. The total phenolic content of ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ should be at least 100 mg/kg. Extra virgin olive oils produced from Memecik olives in Aydın are rich in luteolin. Luteolin is one of the main phenolic substances of olive oil. In studies investigating the biochemical characterisation of Memecik olive oils, it was determined that the total phenolic content extra virgin olive oils produced using the Memecik olive variety in Aydın province was significantly higher than that of extra virgin olive oils produced in İzmir province. The sterol contents of Memecik olive oils produced in Aydın province were found to be higher than those of the oils produced in İzmir and Muğla under the same conditions. The reason for the high phenolic content of the Memecik olive is that it is very well adapted to the hot summers of Aydın’s climate. And it is traditionally produced there due to its resistance to drought.

Causal link

The air currents from the west are especially effective in Aydın. The wind direction is mostly east-southeast, followed by southwest and west winds. Aydın province is in the Büyük Menderes Basin. Since the Büyük Menderes Valley opens towards the sea, the winds that have a warming effect and precipitation from the sea can easily reach the interior. These winds give ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ its unique organoleptic properties such as bitterness and pungency and protect the olives against the olive fly during the ripening period. The low rate of damage by the olive fly keeps the free acidity and peroxide levels of the olive oil low. Olive cultivation in Aydın province on the lands irrigated by the Menderes river does not require irrigation. ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ produced under these conditions acquires very fruity aromatic properties.

The main feature of the olive oils obtained from the Memecik olive variety is their intense bitterness and pungency, as sensory tests have shown. It is the phenolic compounds that give the oils their characteristic bitterness. However, the oils’ phenolic content changes according to the ripening time and, consequently, the harvest time.

The province’s producers can determine suitable maturity periods thanks to their experience, because the sensory properties of olives before processing and their sensory properties after processing for oil reveal the sensory character of olive oil.

Understanding as they do that the bitter taste of olive oil is directly related to its phenolic compounds and that this bitterness is related to the maturity of the olives used to make the oil, producers adjust harvest times. This way, the sensory properties of ‘Aydın Memecik Zeytinyağı’ are revealed both by human activities (such as the producers’ timely/adequate application of cultivation processes and their determining the appropriate harvest time) and by natural conditions.

Reference to the publication of the specification

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(1)   OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.