Definition.
Why should I pay attention to the acidity of my olive oil? This is a common question about a concept that is often misunderstood or unclear.
Firstly, it is important to understand that this attribute does not correspond to a taste or flavor.
Indeed, we cannot feel it in our mouth.
Thus, someone saying that an oil is “very acidic” just by tasting it is unlikely.
In fact, the acidity of olive oil depends on the process of harvesting and storing the olives, in other words, the actions taken just before milling.
Take any fruit, for example, an apple that falls from a tree and we leave it abandoned on the ground, after a few hours, then a few days, it ferments and eventually rots.
So just like the apple, since the olive is a fruit, its oxidation process begins at the second it is removed from the tree.
The chains of fatty acids that make up olive oil break down, leaving some of them in free form (separated from the chain).
The more damaged the fruit is, the higher the free acidity.
Thus, the free acidity indicates the state of the fruit at the time of oil extraction.
If the acidity is low (from 0.1 to 0.3), we can say that the fruit was intact.
If, on the other hand, it is high (more than 0.4), the olives have suffered and the oil has some defects.
How is olive oil acidity measured?
To measure acidity, we need a chemical analysis.
The label should include this information, expressed as a percentage of oleic acid.
For an oil to be extra virgin, the acidity must be less than 0.8.
The limit is, however, quite indulgent since, as we have just mentioned, at more than 0.4, the oil already begins to manifest some defects.
In summary, why should I pay attention to the acidity of my olive oil?
Try to buy olive oils that do not exceed 0.3 free acidity. Acidity has nothing to do with the taste or flavor of olive oil. Acidity is not something you will feel in your mouth or stomach, it is simply the definition of the quality of the fruit just extracted for oil. The more oxidized an olive is, the more defects the oil will present and therefore lose its characteristics, going from extra virgin to virgin to simply olive oil.
The acidity index of Bellverd olive oil is 0.14% supported by analyses, of course
Vanessa
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La entrada Why should I pay attention to the acidity of my olive oil ? se publicó primero en Bellverd OOVE Eco 100% Arbequina.
Why should I pay attention to the acidity of my olive oil ?
