The European Union Funded Campaign Flavor Your Life Discusses the Two Main Characteristics of Classifying Olive Oil, Such as Tuscan Olive Oil
Bohemia, NY (PRWEB) August 30, 2013 -- The European Union funded campaign Flavor Your Life, which is dedicated to educating individuals on olive oil industry news, reviews the two key European standards for the chemical analysis of olive oil.
Olive oil is one of the main ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. Different olive oil varieties, such as Tuscan olive oil, will contain different characteristics. In Europe, olive oil must meet standards that are set forth by the European Community. These standards are very strict – they were put into place to ensure that olive oil is not mixed with other types of lower grade oil, such as oil from seeds. These standards help ensure that consumers are purchasing olive oil that has not been adulterated in any way.
Olive oil must be evaluated with an organoleptic test. This panel test is a physical-chemical analysis that helps establish the level of quality in the olive oil. The acidity and the fat content are analyzed, along with two important characteristics:
• Acidity-This helps indicate the quality of the oil, and is determined using a chemical test.
• Peroxides- The olive oil must contain 20 mEq. 02/Kg of peroxides or lower in order to be considered commercially consumable. The lower the amount of peroxides, the higher the quality. This also helps dictate the rancidity of the olive oil.
Carol Firenze, author of The Passionate Olive, shares the importance of this process that separates lower quality olive oil from high quality and healthy extra virgin olive oil. “Extra Virgin Olive oil is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean Diet. Along with fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish and poultry, the Mediterranean Diet is the best defense against high cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight (the three main factors contributing to heart disease).”
Flavor Your Life, a campaign supported by the European Union, Unaprol and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, is dedicated to providing the latest in industry news and health information about European extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil enhances the flavors of your recipes while providing health benefits. Flavor Your Life campaign, the voice of olive oil production quality control, aims to educate consumers so they can make informed decisions when purchasing olive oil.
Scott Darrohn, Flavor Your Life, http://flavor-your-life.com/, +1 (855) 347-4228, [email protected]
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