"...expression of our land, of selected Olive trees,
of a passion that comes from the past but which is
renewed with every harvest, for a new interpretation
of quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil ..."
of a passion that comes from the past but which is
renewed with every harvest, for a new interpretation
of quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil ..."
ACIDITY AND WAXES
The oil Acidity analysis is necessary to classify the product. This value reveals the presence of a hydrolytic phenomenon of oxidation and its state of progress. Excellent olive oil presents low levels of acidity.
| Reference index: (Max Acidity limit) | |
| Olio ExtraVergine di Oliva.... | <0.80% |
| IGP TOSCANO...... | <0.60% |
| DOP COLLINE DI FIRENZE...... | <0.50% |
| DOP CHIANTI CLASSICO...... | <0.50% |
The oil acidity increases if the olives are damaged. That can happen either during their growth or at the time of the harvest if they get broken or pressed while picking them. The olives can also suffer from the parasite attack that provokes the deterioration of the fruits.
It is possible to reduce the acidity level trough a chemical process. For this reason producers who want to show the acidity value of the oil on their label, have to indicate, together with the acidity level, the wax parameter, which gets over 250 mg/Kg if the oil has been chemically modified.
It is possible to reduce the acidity level trough a chemical process. For this reason producers who want to show the acidity value of the oil on their label, have to indicate, together with the acidity level, the wax parameter, which gets over 250 mg/Kg if the oil has been chemically modified.
PEROXIDES NUMBER:
It evaluate the storability state of a vegetable oil: the peroxides are indeed the result of the initial growing acid relations. They show the amount of oxygen absorbed by the oil and depends on the healthy conditions of the olives from the growing to the transformation.
| Reference index: [Max Peroxides Limit ( meq O2/kg )] | |
| Olio ExtraVergine di Oliva.... | MAX 20 |
| IGP TOSCANO...... | MAX 16 |
| DOP COLLINE DI FIRENZE...... | MAX 12 |
| DOP CHIANTI CLASSICO...... | MAX 12 |
Higher is the peroxides number more are the damages caused to the oil. To preserve the original quality is necessary to keep the oil in a dry place far from lights and heat sources.
U.V. SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS:
From K232, K270 and Delta K values it is possible to recognize a virgin from a treated oil: indeed treated oils have high K232, K270 and Delta K contents. These values increase also following the oxidation process.
| Reference index: (Max U.V. Spettrophotometric Limit) | |||
| K232 | k270 | DELTA K | |
| Olio ExtraVergine di Oliva | 2.50 | 0.22 | 0.01 |
| IGP TOSCANO | 2.50 | 0.22 | 0.01 |
| DOP COLLINE DI FIRENZE | 2.30 | 0.20 | 0.01 |
| DOP CHIANTI CLASSICO | 2.10 | 0.20 | 0.01 |
TOCOPHEROLES AND BIOPHENOLS:
They represent the oil antioxidant patrimony: they are compounds that allow the oil to preserve itself from its natural oxidation. They are nutritional and medical very important substances. The tocopherols are commonly known as vitamin E and in the extra virgin olive oil their main percentage is constituted by the a-Tocopherols.
| Reference index: [ The bare minimum ( mg/Kg )] | ||
| TOCOPHEROLES | BIOPHENOLS | |
| Olio ExtraVergine di Oliva | not advisable | not advisable |
| IGP TOSCANO | <40 | <60 |
| DOP COLLINE DI FIRENZE | <100 | <130 |
| DOP CHIANTI CLASSICO | <140 | <150 |
The polyphenols effect also the oil organoleptic features and their degradation is one of the causes of the taste change during the time. Among the polyphenols the secoiridoids, deriving from the oleuropein and ligstroside, are typical of the European Olea fruit.Thanks to the biophenol Hplc test (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), in addition to the total number of these important substances, we are able to know the kind of biophenols divided according to their molecular weight. Such an identification is, for us, particularly interesting because we can deduce these important antioxidant compounds degradation and more generally the oil degradation. The amount of biophenols depends on the kind of cultivar, the ripening of the olives and on the extraction setting. The new extraction technologies allow to obtain oil with an higher number of biophenols.
