OLIVE OILS AND HEALTH 62 3.2. Olive oil classification Multiple criteria are employed to classify olive oils, the most common being the “commercial” one, although it is not always clear for consumers. What is unquestionable is that extra virgin olive (EVOO) is the highest quality olive oil with the best sensory, nutritional, and culinary characteristics. Commercial categories Olive oil commercial categories are established by quality and purity parameters related to physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics. Quality criteria include a sensory evaluation, by an official tasting panel, and physicochemical parameters which are considered markers reflecting good practice in the olive oil extraction process (mainly free acidity, peroxide value, and ultraviolet (UV) specific extinction coefficient). Purity criteria assure that no adulteration exists by mixing with other oils. Such indices are based on the determination of the content of several chemical groups including triglycerides, fatty acids, sterols, triterpenic dialcohols, and waxes. Prior to describing the various categories of commercial olive oils, the difference between olive oils and pomace olive oils should be established. The former includes two main types of oils: virgin olive oils and oils obtained from virgin olive oil by refining processes. The latter are obtained from the olive pomace (the solid by-product after mechanical extraction of the olive oil) with solvents or physical means. There are eight different categories of olive oils and pomace olive oils, but not all of them directly edible. Those available to the consumer are extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil (a mix of virgin and refined olive oil), and pomace olive oil (Figure 3.2).
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