Be careful when buying olive oil, you may not be buying a quality product. A recent test helps you avoid risks.
Imagine finding a bottle of extra virgin olive oil that you have always considered your “liquid gold”. You think you’ve made a great purchase, but then you read the results of a laboratory test that casts doubt on the quality of that same product.
It’s a disconcerting scenario, isn’t it? Unfortunately, however, this is exactly what emerged from an in-depth investigation conducted on thirty brands of extra virgin olive oil commonly found on supermarket shelves.
The results, alarming to say the least, revealed that in 11 of the products analyzed they failed to pass fully meet the rigid quality standards established for extra virgin olive oil.
Some of these names are also of well-known and established companies in the sector. And according to what was communicated by the magazine Altroconsumo which carried out a specific quality test, they were found to be less than adequate in various aspects, such as acidity, the content of polyphenols and even the origin of the olives used.
Olive oil, the ranking from best to least recommended
But the real surprise is that the best brand that emerged from the survey, the one that obtained the highest score in all categories, it costs just €4.43 per litre! This is a decidedly competitive price when compared with “premium” products which are around €10-15 per litre.
This study brings to light a real scandal in the world of extra virgin olive oil, calling into question the quality of many high-end brands and revealing that the best value for money is actually found among the cheapest products.
Choosing a good extra virgin olive oil can be a real challenge, considering the wide range of brands available in supermarkets and discount stores.
To help consumers in this choice, Altroconsumo therefore conducted this in-depth test on 30 brands of extra virgin olive oil purchased in various sales points in our country.
The criteria used for the test
To determine the final ranking and identify the best extra virgin olive oil on the market, the Altroconsumo laboratories subjected each product to a series of chemical analyzes and tastings by panels of experts. Various parameters were examined to evaluate the quality of each oil, including:
Labeling: both the information required by law and the optional information useful for consumers were evaluated. Acidity: An increase in acidity may indicate that the olives used for production were not in perfect condition.
Number of peroxides: this data provides information on the oxidation state of the oil.
UV spectrophotometric analysis: measures the absorption of ultraviolet rays and allows you to detect the presence of refined oils.
Determination of alkyl ethyl esters of fatty acids: a parameter recently introduced to evaluate the quality of the starting olives. Presence of pesticides: Over 80 different substances were researched. Organoleptic evaluation: panel of expert tasters evaluated the organoleptic characteristics of the oils, such as sight, smell and taste.
The rejection: from extra virgins to virgins
Following this, and after the taste test, some oils they have been downgraded to “virgin” rather than “extra virgin”.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: Do you have magnets on your fridge? Maybe you’d be much better off taking them off, the reason
Despite some complaints from producers, the results of the sensory tests conducted by Altroconsumo, carried out by official panels recognized at national and international level, remain valid.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: Esselunga chickens: White streaks and burns in the trays raise concerns about animal welfare
The final ranking saw him in first place Monini Bios oil, with a score of 78 out of 100 and a price of €11.12/l. The best purchase according to Altroconsumo is instead the classic Desantis extra virgin olive oil, with a score of 71 and a price of just €4.43/l. Below is the complete ranking:
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: McDonald’s removes the smile on the Happy Meal packaging: it is a campaign to talk about mental health
Excellent quality extra virgin olive oils
1. Monini Bios
Quality: excellent. Score 78. Price: €11.12/l
2. Clement
Quality: excellent. Score 75. Price: €9.32/l
3. Organic Carapelli
Quality: excellent. Score 73. Price: €8.14/l
4. Eurospin, I love being organic, Podere del Conte 100% Italian organic
Quality: excellent. Score 73. Price: €6.39/l
5. Carapelli the oil mill
Quality: excellent, 71. Price: €5.41/l
6. Desantis 100% Italian
Quality: excellent, 71. Price: €6.13/l
7. Classic Desantis
Quality: excellent, 71. Price: €4.43/l
8. Conad Verso Natura Bio
Quality: excellent, 70. Price: €5.73/l
9. De Cecco classic
Quality: excellent, 70. Price: €5.70/l
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
10. Green Gold Carapelli
Quality: good, 68. Price: 8.90 euros per pack
11. Farchioni the organic farmhouse
Quality: good, 67. Price: 6.90 euros per pack
12. Classic Monini
Quality: good, 66. Price: 5.86 euros per pack
13. Farchioni cold extracted
Quality: good, 65. Price: 5.17 euros per pack
14. De Cecco 100% Italian
Quality: good, 64. Price: 8.46 euros per pack
15. Cold-extracted organic courgettes
Quality: good, 62. Price: 7.37 euros per pack
16. Coop 100% Italian origin
Quality: good, 62. Price: 7.25 euros per pack
17. Fruity Carli oil
Quality: good, 61. Price: 9.80 euros per pack
18. Classic festival
Quality: good, 60. Price: 5.79 euros per pack
19. Filippo Berio 100% Italian
Quality: medium, 57. Price: 8.40 euros per pack
Low quality extra virgin oils
20. Unfiltered organic is a golden thing
Quality: low, 34. Price: 6.07 euros per pack
21. Pietro Coricelli 100% Italian
Quality: low, 33. Price: 9.13 euros per pack
22. Bertolli Dear oil
Quality: low, 33. Price: 5.41 euros per pack
23. Classic Carrefour
Quality: low, 33. Price: 4.77 euros per pack
24. Classic Cirio
Quality: low, 33. Price: 5.44 euros per pack
25. Pietro Coricelli family stories
Quality: low, 31. Price: 5.24 euros per pack
26. Viola la Colombara oil mill
Quality: low, 31. Price: 6.77 euros per pack
27. Primadonna (Lidl) classic
Quality: low, 30. Price: 3.79 euros per pack
28. Classic stone
Quality: low, 30. Price: 6.54 euros per pack
29. Dante ancient lands
Quality: low, 29. Price: 6.31 euros per pack
30. The extra costs gold
Quality: low, 29. Price: 5.37 euros per pack
