Glossary

Cold pressed:

that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 °F (27 °C)) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation.

Pomace:

By-product of residual olive paste left after processing which still contains a variable percentage of water and oil depending on the processing method employed. Pomace is usually used by the extraction industry to obtain crude olive-pomace oil, or for other purposes.

Early Harvest:

Oil made from olives at optimal ripeness at the beginning of the season.

Mono-varietal:

olive oil made from just one variety of olive, as opposed to a blend of olives

IOC:

International Olive Council

Smoking point:

The peak temperature that the oil starts to smoke, and a higher temperature than the smoke point means the oil starts to change in chemical make up and flavour. Light Olive Oil has the highest smoke point( approximately 242°C) in the olive oil family, which is why is it good for deep frying.

Polyphenals:

a structural class of mainly organic chemicals which gives oil the bitter notes

Sensory testing:

is a scientific discipline that applies principles of experimental design and statistical analysis to the use of human senses, e.g. sight, smell etc for the purposes of evaluating consumer products.

Fatty acid:

any of a class of aliphatic acids, especially palmitic, stearic, or oleic acid, consisting of a long hydrocarbonchain ending in a carboxyl group that bonds to glycerol to form a fat.

Rancidity:

Negative attribute of virgin olive oil. Flavour of oils which have undergone an intense process of oxidation

Oxidation:

the process of oxidising, that is, to combine with oxygen