Debunking The Olive Oil Fridge Test
Regarding the “refrigerator test”, and as stated in a recent article by Nancy Flagg, in The Olive Oil Times (http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/), "you cannot determine an oil's quality by seeing if it solidifies in the refrigerator. This is a myth, and has been proven to be totally unreliable.
"The North American Olive Oil Association called the home test “completely false and misleading.” Almost any oil will solidify at cold temperatures, depending on its chemical compounds, and even within the EVOO category, factors such as olive variety and time of harvest, will affect solidification."
The profile of an olive oil, and especially Extra Virgin Olive Oil, is incredibly diverse because the oil’s makeup is affected by so many natural factors that vary by region, season, and type of olive. These include:
The olive variety
The seasonal growing conditions
The latitude of the country of origin
The time of harvest
The processing methods
All these factors affect the final profile of the olive oil, and even olives from the same trees can produce oil that varies from year to year. Since olives are a fruit, the skin has natural waxes that protect the fruit as it grows. Evidence of these waxes can be traced in the final product. These natural waxes aren’t harmful, but the range found is variable and some suppliers even chill and filter the oil to remove visible waxes for appearance purposes in order to produce a more polished oil, which will also affect the oil’s solidification temperature. Finally, in order to achieve and keep a consistent flavor profile, some producers may blend several varieties of extra virgin olive oil from various types of olives or regions. This will also affect the time and the level of cold required to get to the solidification stage.
Expert olive oil taster, Australian Richard Gawel stated that the refrigerator test "is not a reliable indicator of an oil’s EVOO authenticity." Gawel writes in his blog why the myth may have come into being. "EVOO's are largely made of monounsaturated fats that coagulate at refrigerator temperatures while other oils tend to be made of polyunsaturated fats that can only solidify at much lower temperatures — lower than regular refrigerators can reach.” "Even an EVOO that has been adulterated with a bit of canola oil will solidify in the refrigerator and pass the test, even though it is not pure EVOO," said Gawel.
Dan Flynn, Executive Director of the UC Davis Olive Center told Flagg that looking at solidification in the refrigerator is a flawed technique. “While it is true that refined oils will not coagulate in the cold, it is also true that some olive oil varieties will not coagulate either.”
According to Flynn, "Seven oil samples, including EVOO, lesser grade olive oils, olive oil blends and non-olive oils were placed in a refrigerator and checked at intervals up to 180 hours. Although no samples fully solidified, a sample of EVOO mixed with up to 50 percent lesser grade olive oil congealed in the bottles, meaning it could be interpreted as passing the refrigerator test even though it was not pure EVOO. The study concluded that the “Fridge Test” is not reliable for determining oil purity or quality."
There is no simple magic home test to check for olive oil authenticity. Extra virgin olive oil will crystallize and/or solidify at a wide variety of time and temperature exposures. All this variance is what makes extra virgin olive oil truly special. Forget the fridge, and focus instead on enjoying the wide variety of flavors found amongst extra virgin olive oils.
*NOTE: Our LOVE BRAND of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great choice!
-The oil is single sourced from Kalamata, Greece
-Made from 100% Koroneiki Olives organically grown on small family farms in Kalamata, Greece
-The oil is the first cold-pressing within 4-6 hours of picking
-Tasting notes are herby, grassy on the front side, buttery mid mouth, no bitterness, and a white pepper finish on back end pungency
$18.99 750ml dark green glass bottle