Virgin and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

"Virgin olive oil" denotes oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical processes or other means that cause no alteration or deterioration through heat or chemical interaction.

Therefore, the oil must not have been subjected to any treatment other than that of washing, centrifugation, and filtration.
The best oils, those called"extra-virgin," are cold-pressed. Cold-pressing is a chemical-free process that involves only pressure, which produces a natural level of low acidity.

Climate, soil, variety of olive tree and time of harvest account for the different "organoleptic" properties of different olive oils. These properties refer to the oil's flavor, bouquet and color.

The term comes from the Greek organon (tool) and leptos (fine), and usually refers to the instant when all the senses are employed in a food's assessment.

Differences Between Extra-Virgin, Fine Virgin,
and Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil

Extra-virgin olive oils must have an acidity of less than 1 percent. The organoleptic properties must rate at least 6.5 on an Italian tasting panel's scale of 1 to 10. Virgin olive oils, on the other hand, may have an acidity between 1 and 2 percent. Their organoleptic values must score 5.5 or higher.

There are other requirements for each of these designations, as well. The International Olive Oil Council assigned different designations to virgin olive oil:

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is virgin olive oil that has a minimum organoleptic rating of 6.5 out of 10 and low acidity. It is the oil of the highest quality, and boasts a perfect, fruity taste, while its color can range from crystalline champagne to greenish-golden or bright green.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil can be used in endless ways in the kitchen, and in Italy it has been a traditional ingredient in everything from antipasti to desserts.
It is best used raw in salads, in order to enjoy its real flavor. Because of the time-consuming process required to manufacture extra-virgin oil, and its limited production volume, true extra-virgin olive oils are expensive. Thus, any inexpensive olive oil labeled "extra-virgin" is probably not authentic.

Below Extra-Virgin Olive Oil we find Fine Virgin Olive Oil. Like extra-virgin oil, it is also cold-pressed. It has an organoleptic rating of 5.5 or more and an acidity of 1.5 percent or less. Quality oils are obtained when the olives are crushed as quickly as possible, since any storage would trigger a fermentation process in the fruit, making the oil produced increasingly acidic and undesirable in both flavor and aroma.

Semi-Fine or Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil only has an organoleptic rating of 3.5 or more and acidity of 3.3 percent or less. When properly processed, Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil maintains the purity of the fruit's flavor, aroma, and vitamins. The International Olive Oil Institute recommends using pure olive oil for frying, since the flavor of extra-virgin olive oil tends to break down at frying temperatures.

Testing to Determine Whether an Olive Oil is Extra-Virgin
Place a small quantity of the oil in a glass bowl and refrigerate it for a few days. If it becomes crystalline, it is very likely a true extra-virgin olive oil. If it forms a block, it is most likely a chemically refined oil that has had some first-pressed oil added to it.

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