Yes, EVO oil analysis is a consumer right.

I always say this to those who come to taste our oil.
The producer-miller / customer-consumer relationship is not an equal relationship .
You can ask me any detail about how I grow the olives or produce the oil, but whatever I say my guest cannot verify . You can only trust or rely on his own experience.

This is why I believe in chemical and organoleptic analysis of EVO oil. Because they are an independent tool that helps the producer understand what oil he has produced and provides the customer with a tool to evaluate its quality.

But there are a thousand other reasons, large and small, why it would be appropriate for analyses to always be made available. Let’s look at some of them.

What do chemical and organoleptic analyses consist of?

Before delving into the various aspects of application, let’s do a quick review of what information chemical and organoleptic analyses provide.

Chemical analyses tell us if, for example, the olives were harvested too late, or attacked by flies or stored inappropriately after harvest (high acidity), if the deterioration and oxidation process is advanced (high peroxides) or if the oil has been adulterated (high values ​​in the spectrophotometric constants).
Among the positive characteristics we find the rate of polyphenols, the antioxidants responsible for the bitter and spicy notes.

Organoleptic analyses (Panel Test) define the sensory qualities of the oil. The intensity of the fruitiness (light, medium, intense), the intensity of the bitterness and spiciness and indicate any defects in the oil such as dregs, rancidity, mold or heating.

We remind you that, according to EU Regulation no. 2568/91 and subsequent amendments, in order to define an olive oil as “ extra virgin ”, it must comply with the values ​​indicated in the regulation for both analyses.

Transparency

The oil sector is fragmented into thousands of small farms that fight among themselves to emerge from the indistinct mass of producers.
Some do so by focusing on quality, and on the love for the oil product. But often this is not enough.
Many follow other paths such as that of the rock-bottom price or that of aggressive and crafty marketing by passing off as qualities characteristics required by law or using slogans as high-sounding as they are empty such as “low acidity”, “made like it used to be”, without providing a single proof to support the vaunted quality.

And I am only talking about regular farms. If we were to delve into the myriad of private ads on various marketplaces or FB groups we would not get out alive.

In this situation the victims are the citizens/customers/consumers who can only choose which siren to be captured by.
I am exaggerating, although not that much.

There are serious producers who make a quality product and aware buyers who know how to choose.

But this is precisely why producers must take the first step to change this situation.
It is necessary to clear the field, to draw a line where on one side there are serious producers and on the other the crafty ones and those who work badly.

As mentioned, there are many serious producers, but they need to be made to stand out from the crowd and this is only possible by making a gesture of transparency for their own benefit and that of the citizens.

This gesture of transparency is called  publication of oil analyses .

Why are analyses useful to the producer?

Providing oil analysis offers several advantages to producers:

• Offering transparency demonstrates commitment to quality, differentiating you from your competitors
• Build trust with your customers. Informed consumers are more likely to become repeat customers.
• Possibility to educate the consumer on the quality of EVO oil and its unlimited possibilities of use. Teaching how to interpret the analyses helps to expand the base of aware consumers

Why they are useful to the public

Having the analyses of the oil you are going to taste or buy available provides equally important advantages for the public:

• EVO oil analyses are a consumer right, an independent tool available to evaluate an oil and compare it with others
• Guarantee of quality and authenticity of the product. Knowing that an oil has been analyzed offers greater security when purchasing
• The information allows for more targeted choices, suited to your needs (e.g. high polyphenol content for health reasons)

Some might argue that reading chemical or organoleptic analyses is not easy and requires specific expertise.
This is partially true. I have seen chemical analyses consisting of dozens of pages and hundreds of values.
But the goal is not to know the meaning of each individual test.

To get an idea of ​​the quality of an EVO oil, it is sufficient to know how to interpret three values:

• acidity
• peroxides
• Polyphenols

Learn more here: How to read the chemical analysis of EVO oil

Of course, it doesn’t exhaust the topic but if we all knew how to interpret them, it would be a giant step forward.

Then there are the organoleptic analyses (Panel Test) that complete the portrait of an oil and definitively qualify it as EVO (or not…).
Learn more here: How to read the organoleptic analyses of EVO oil (Panel Test)

Why would they be useful to the entire oil mill sector?

In a market where news about adulterations are the order of the day and where suspicion always creeps in (“that guy mixed it with Tunisian oil ”), increasing the number of producers who make analyses available is of fundamental importance to raise the level of general trust in the sector and its reputation in Italy and abroad.

This would also allow us to shine the spotlight on artisanal and excellent productions.

Important help could also come from institutions. Public policies could encourage transparency through tax reductions for performing analyses or controlled prices in accredited laboratories, or perhaps by making practical guides available for interpreting analyses so that producers can use them without having to create their own and incurring errors and omissions.

Conclusions

The time has come to dissolve the fog that surrounds the world of EVO oil, bring out serious producers and expand the base of aware consumers. Having access to the analyses of an oil is their right.

Providing chemical and organoleptic analyses is not just a gesture of transparency, but an investment in quality and trust . Producers have the opportunity to educate customers and distinguish themselves with facts in an increasingly competitive market.

Sharing your experience and demonstrating the quality of your oil with facts is the way to change the history of EVO oil.