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Frequently Asked Questions
Grades of Olive Oil:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
EVOO is a fruit juice. It must be extracted using physical pressure. It has be have a positive flavour and odour and with no associated defects. Furthermore its free fatty acid level must be below 0.8%. In the past EVOO was seen as the premium product, now days producing it is seen as the standard product and there is a great range of qualities between the oils from excellent to bad ones.
On a health angle the positive qualities of olive oil referred to in research normally relates to EVOO.
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Virgin oils and olive oils
These categories have higher levels of free fatty acid and or a taste of smell defect such as rancidity, fusty or musty. These are inferior products.
Lampante
If the free fatty acid level is greater than 3% it is described as Lampante and is not for human consumption. Traditionally, these oils have been used as fuel oil.
Pomace Oil
To produce olive oil the olives are crushed into a paste and the oil is extracted using pressure. The by product is called pomace and it contains a small percentage of olive oil. This olive oil can be extracted using solvents and is thus called Pomace oil.
Extra Light Olive oil
Lampante oil can be filtered using solvents to remove the free fatty acids, and odours and taste. What is left is an odourless and colourless olive oil with none of the positive health benefits. It is a straight fat.
Pure Olive Oil
Similar to Extra light except the producers will incorporate a small percentage of extra virgin olive oil to give it flavour and colour.
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Pressing:
What Is First Press?
Olive are crushed into a paste and then passed into the centrifugal press. As the name implies first press is the oil extracted from the process. After the paste has had the oil removed it is called pomace. Pomace retains a small percentage of oil and this oil can be removed either from passing the pomace through the centrifuge or by using chemical solvents. In Australia virtually all oil is first press.
What is cold pressed?
Olive oil oxidizes with heat and contact to air. It is for this reason that pressing oil is best done at temperatures not exceeding 26 degrees. La Barre operates it processing plant at 24 -25 degrees, thereby classifying itself as cold pressed.
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