Curiosity

How to recognize and classify good olive oil? Panel testing and tasting.

To classify a good oil, it's not enough to simply subject it to chemical and physical analysis ; it's also necessary to evaluate it from an organoleptic perspective. How is this done? Using the panel test method . The oil panel test The test panel is made up of expert tasters with particular physiological aptitudes capable of perceiving the olfactory , gustatory and tactile notes of extra virgin and virgin olive oil : notes which, evaluated together, give the taste and aroma of the product through which the positive or negative judgments on the oil itself are expressed. It is essential that every taster knows how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an extra virgin olive oil by practicing a lot to familiarize themselves with the terminology, so as to be able to assign a descriptor to each sensation. Unlike the sensory analysis of other products such as wine, honey, or cheese, visual examination is not included in oil tasting because color and clarity are not correlated with quality. These parameters should not have any psychological influence on the taster, which is why tasting is performed in a dark glass . Organoleptic analysis of oil After an initial olfactory examination, during which you try to perceive all the positive and negative odors, the strengths and weaknesses, you move on to the taste examination , placing a teaspoon-sized amount of oil in your mouth. This is one of the fundamental steps in understanding how to recognize a good oil. To appreciate the different nuances of flavor, swirl the oil around in your mouth , ensuring it touches all your taste buds . Then, without swallowing, spray the oil into your mouth, drawing air between your teeth to engage the sensors in your mouth and especially your nose. This allows you to perceive the volatile aromatic compounds and the tactile sensation of piquancy through the retronasal passage. All the sensations that linger after tasting (the aftertaste ) are then evaluated. A careful organoleptic examination can provide the identity card of an oil : from the description of its sensory profile we can obtain information on the life of the oil, in particular on the origin of the olives , the variety, the more or less early harvesting period, the conservation of the olives, the extraction processes and the conservation of the oil . For producers and millers it is very important to be able to understand the characteristics of the oil obtained and any defects, so as to intervene in the various links in the supply chain and improve its qualitative characteristics . Evaluating oil: tasting The panel consists of between 8 and 12 tasters. Each taster has different skills and characteristics, and each individual result is averaged with the others to make the sensory analysis more objective. A single expert taster, in fact, cannot express their opinion on the oil individually: the final judgment, positive or negative, must come from the entire group. Tasting sessions are codified by international and EU standards with the aim of making the organoleptic evaluation of the oil as objective as possible. The samples to be tasted should be kept in glasses at a temperature of around 28°C to better observe the organoleptic differences : at lower temperatures, in fact, there is little volatilization of the aromatic compounds, while at excessively high temperatures, volatile substances typical of heated oils are produced. The tasting glass should be U-shaped, with a wide base and a narrow mouth to help concentrate the aromas and facilitate identification. During the heating process, the glass is covered with a watch glass to prevent the aroma from escaping. It should also be blue or dark because, as we've already seen, the color of the oil should not influence the taster. The best times for tasting are in the morning or mid-afternoon, and in any case not immediately after meals: these, in fact, are preceded by an increase in taste-olfactory sensitivity and followed by a decrease. What not to do before tasting Before tasting the oil, you should not eat anything at least an hour beforehand, because the feeling of satiety can alter your perceptions. You should not smoke or consume coffee, alcoholic or aromatic drinks, sweets or other strong-tasting foods in the 30 minutes before tasting. You must not use any perfume, soap or cosmetic whose odor lingers during the test. Want to try our extra virgin olive oil ? Frantoio Pace harvests the finest olives using traditional methods and processes them using the cold-press method . Contact us!