Olive oil analysis

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-residue oil and on the relevant methods of analysis

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1096 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 as regards the requirements for certain indications on the labelling of olive oil

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATIONS?

European Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 defines the specific characteristics applicable to each category of olive oil and the types of analyses that are applied to determine conformity. It also sets out control requirements for the EU Member States.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1096 (see delegated acts) revises certain indications for olive oil labelling relating to acidity and the harvesting year.

KEY POINTS

Olive oil categories

There are eight categories of olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is the category with the highest quality. It has no organoleptic defects and is fruity. Its acidity level must not exceed 0.8%.
Virgin olive oil may have some sensory defects, but at a very low level. Its acidity must not exceed 2%.
Lampante olive oil is a lower-quality virgin olive oil with an acidity of more than 2%, with no fruity characteristics and substantial sensory defects. It is refined or used for industrial purposes.
Refined olive oil is obtained after refining mostly lampante and sometimes virgin olive oil. It is not intended for the retail market and has a degree of acidity of up to 0.3%.
Olive oil composed of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils results from the blending of refined olive oil with extra virgin or virgin olive oils. It has a degree of acidity of up to 1%.
Crude olive-pomace oil is obtained from the residual paste obtained after the oil is extracted by mechanical means.
Refined olive-pomace oil is obtained by refining crude olive-pomace oil. It can have a degree of acidity of up to 0.3%.
Olive-pomace oil results from the blending of refined olive-pomace oil with extra virgin or virgin olive oil and has a degree of acidity of up to 1%.

Analysis methods to determine oil categorisation

The different categories of olive oils are graded according to quality parameters, relating to:

physico-chemical characteristics, such as the acidity level, the peroxide index, the fatty acid content and the sterols composition;
organoleptic (sensory) characteristics, such as fruitiness and the absence of organoleptic defects.

The regulation outlines the different methods of analysis to determine the following aspects of composition:

free fatty acids, expressed as the percentage of oleic acid
peroxide index
wax content
composition and content of sterols and triterpene dialcohols
percentage of 2-glyceryl monopalmitate
fatty acid composition
organoleptic characteristics of virgin olive oil
stigmastadienes
triglycerides
waxes, fatty acid methyl esters and fatty acid ethyl ester.

Conformity

The Member States must ensure that appropriate conformity checks are carried out, based on a risk analysis, to ensure that the olive oil marketed is consistent with the declared category. The risk assessment criteria may include:

the category of oil, the period of production, the price of oils in relation to other vegetable oils, the blending and packing operations, the storage facilities and conditions, the country of origin, the country of destination, the means of transport or the volume of the lot;
the operators’ position in the marketing chain, the volume and value marketed, the range of oil categories, the type of business carried out such as milling, storage, refining, blending, packaging or retail sale;
findings made during previous checks, including the number and type of defects found, the usual quality of oils marketed, the performance of technical equipment used;
the reliability of operators’ quality assurance systems or self-checking systems related to the conformity to marketing standards;
the place where the check is carried out, in particular if it is the first point of entry or last point of exit from the EU or the place where the oils are produced, packaged, loaded or sold to the final consumer.

The Member States must indicate in advance the criteria for assessing the risk of non-conformity and the minimum number of operators, lots and quantities subject to a conformity check. At least one conformity check per 1,000 tonnes of olive oil marketed in the Member State must be carried out per year.

If an oil does not correspond to its category description, the Member State must apply effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties depending on the seriousness of the irregularity and increase the frequency of checks if irregularities are significant.

Organoleptic (sensory) characteristics

The Member States may approve assessment panels to assess and verify organoleptic characteristics. Where Member States encounter difficulties in setting up tasting panels in their territory, they may call on a tasting panel approved in another Member State.

Labelling

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1096 amends Implementing Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 on marketing standards for olive oil in respect of some optional terms that can be placed on the label:

an indication of the maximum acidity expected by the minimum durability date;
the harvesting year.

FROM WHEN DO THE REGULATIONS APPLY?

Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 has applied since 6 September 1991.
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1096 has applied since 6 August 2018.

BACKGROUND

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 of 11 July 1991 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-residue oil and on the relevant methods of analysis (OJ L 248, 5.9.1991, pp. 1–83).

Successive amendments to Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1096 of 22 May 2018 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 29/2012 as regards the requirements for certain indications on the labelling of olive oil (OJ L 197, 3.8.2018, pp. 3–4).