Understanding olive oil
From grades to lab values, from reading a label to tasting — everything worth knowing, in plain language.
Olive oil is one of the most misunderstood foods there is. We wrote this guide for our customers and for producers in our region alike: knowing what to look for helps everyone, whether buying or selling.
Grades
Which oil may be sold under which name — grade by grade, with the measured values.
- Olive oil gradesWhat exactly separates extra virgin, virgin, lampante, olive oil and pomace oil?5 min read
- Extra virgin olive oilThe top grade: which values it must meet, how it tastes and smells, and where it belongs in the kitchen.8 min read
- Virgin olive oilWhere it parts company with extra virgin, which defects are tolerated, and what it is best used for.6 min read
- Lampante olive oilWhy it cannot be consumed as is, how it comes about and where it goes — the whole story of refining-grade oil.5 min read
- Refined and Riviera olive oilWhat refining removes and what it leaves behind, how Riviera is blended, and what it is good for.7 min read
- What is olive pomace oil?The oil extracted with solvents from press residue: how it is made, how it is told apart from olive oil, and where it is used.8 min read
Harvest and production
Harvest timing, extraction method and cultivar — the three decisions that set the oil's character.
- Early harvest olive oilWhy oil from green fruit is more bitter, more expensive and longer lived — starting from the maturity index.7 min read
- Ripe harvest olive oilWhy oil from black fruit is softer and sweeter — the balance of yield, aroma and shelf life.6 min read
- What cold extraction meansThe 27 °C threshold, malaxation time, two-phase versus three-phase: how each decision on the line reaches the oil.8 min read
- Olive cultivars and their oil profilesAyvalık, Memecik, Gemlik, Sarı Ulak, Halhalı, Saurani, Nizip Yağlık — what kind of oil each cultivar gives.7 min read
Aroma and tasting
Where aroma and taste come from, and which descriptor stands for which compound.
Measurement and legislation
The numbers on an analysis report, the purity tests and the rules in force.
- What the lab values tell youAcidity, peroxide, K232, K270, Delta-K and polyphenols — what each number actually reveals.6 min read
- Polyphenols and healthWhat makes olive oil healthy, and which claims are scientifically approved?4 min read
- How adulteration is detectedOlive oil is among the world's most adulterated foods. How do you protect yourself?4 min read
- Olive oil under the Turkish Food CodexThe official communiqué that defines olive oil grades, labelling rules and acidity limits in Türkiye — 2017/26, explained.9 min read
Buying and the kitchen
What to look for on the shelf, how to store it, what heat does to it.
- How to read the labelHow to spot a good oil on the shelf in five seconds: harvest date, grade, packaging and origin.4 min read
- Storage and shelf lifeHow light, heat and air spoil olive oil, which container actually protects it, and how quickly you should finish an opened bottle.3 min read
- Cooking with olive oilIs it true you shouldn't fry with olive oil? The smoke point myth, examined.4 min read
Want your own oil measured?
See what you have just read in your own oil. Bring a sample and we will measure free acidity, K232, K270 and Delta-K free of charge.
Free analysis