Italian Olive Oil: benefits of the DOP certification

by Editor on October 18, 2009

I have talked several times now about olive oil benefits, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and how to distinguish amongst different types of olive oil. In this article I am going to start a series of articles dedicated to understanding how to choose the real olive oil that can bring the most benefits.

Today I will be talking about understanding Italian olive oil certifications using the two most important standardised marks, that is, the DOP and the IGP. The DOP certification of olive oil brings the most guarantees as my description of what producers need to demonstrate in order to obtain such a certification.

olive oil - DOP certification

olive oil - DOP certification

Benefits of DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You know that for me olive oil means Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits, so I am going to focus on this type of oil to talk about the DOP certification. However, most of what I say here applies to all the types of olive oil I described in my article about cold pressed olive oil – how to choose.

The first mark you need to know is the DOP mark. DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Destination of Origin). This mark is dedicated to the food industry and can be found on wine, mozzarella, and other products produced in Italy. When an olive oil bottle shows this mark it means that the olive oil has gone through a scrupulous quality process that assesses thoroughly the quality of the territory where the olive oil has been produced.

DOP is a guarantee for the olive oil consumer. By drinking olive oil exhibiting sugh a certification, you can be assured that the whole product process, from the rough material to the final bottle, has been executed within the specified area which is known to provide quality olive oil. The area is analyse taking into account both natural and human properties, as well as production and transformation techniques. In other words, DOP olive oil is a guarantee of quality and verified final product, but also a guarantee that the olive oil is unique and inimitable.

DOP Olive Oil Regulations

The DOP certification was born in 1992 following the CEE 2081/92 regulations of the European Community. A DOP certified product is protected against counterfeits within all the European Unity territory.
To receive a DOP certification, the conditions specified in the second article of the CEE 2081/92 must be met.
1) The particular qualities and characteristics of the final products must be deriving from the specific origin the product has been produced in. This includes natural elements as well as production cycles, local knowledge, and so on.
2) The rough material is produced and processed within the region certified by the DOP mark.

In other words, DOP Olive oil must be made using olives farmed and transformed within the DOP region.

To obtain a DOP certification, olive oil producers have to follow a quality production and certification process under the control of an Italian body which has received the authorisation to provide DOP certifications by the Italian Minister of Agriculture. Obtaining the certification is just the start. Producers will be subject to periodic reviews and assessments that aim to guarantee the highest level of quality is preserved.

IGP Extra Virgin Olive Oil  vs. DOP Extra Virgin Olive oil

olive oil IGP certification

olive oil IGP certification

IPG stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta (Protected Geographic Origin) and it is attributed to agricultural products when only one of the phases of the production process has been achieved in a certified area.

The key difference between DOP and IGP olive oil is that to get the IGP certification, the body will verify that at least 1 phase has actually been executed in the certified area, whereas the DOP certification guarantee that all the phases are executed within the area and following the traditional production processes.

Note

This article is based on information found on the internet in several authoritative websites selected personally by the author. Some of the content has been re-elaborated using Olio di Oliva DOP e olio IGP as a reference.

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Cold Pressed Olive Oil: What is the difference and how to choose

by Editor on October 11, 2009

In this article I will talk about the different types of extra virgin olive oil. As you will discover at the end of this article, I suggest you to buy Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is the best olive oil you can get for you heath even if it is not that easy to spot the differences when it comes to choosing which olive oil to buy.

Before I briefly describe all the different types of olive oil you can find, I have to say that in my analysis to answer the question which one is the best olive oil I have considered the 7 key benefits described in my previous article about benefits of olive oil.

Types of Olive Oil

On the market you can find several types of olive oil, even if very often it will be hard for you to distinguish among them on the supermarket shelf. Here I am going to differentiate different qualities on the basis of the olive oil production process.

  • Regular or Pure Olive Oil
    This olive oil is of lower quality and usually the least expensive. Regular or pure olive oil has undergone a chemical process whereby it has been refined and filtered to neutralize both undesirable strong tastes and acid content.
  • Virgin Olive Oil
    Virgin means the olive oil was produced without any chemical additives, so it contains no refined oil. It has an acidity that’s less than 2%, so it tastes better. Basically, virgin olive oil is the result of olive press with no (or very little) further manipulation or processing, hence the term “virgin”.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    It is very high quality olive oil since it comes from the first press only. This allows it to acquire perfect flavour, aroma, and balanced acidity. This olive oil is less processed than Virgin olive oil and is very delicate in flavour. It’s perfect for dipping bread, salad dressings, marinades, and for dressing rough food.
  • Cold Pressed Olive Oil
    Cold pressed olive oil can be considered premium olive oil. It is produced following a special process that fully preserves the delicate flavour. Cold pressed means that this oil is only the result of the first press where the olive paste is gently warmed to reach room temperature to avoid loosing taste. Pressing is also done in winter or in general in colder environments to fully retain the flavour. Conversely, in the production process of non cold pressed olive oil, the olive paste is often pressed the second time using hot water and steam to extract the last drop, the heat during the second pressing took away the delicate flavours.
Cold Pressed Olive Oil by library_chic

Cold Pressed Olive Oil by library_chic

To summarise, cold pressed olive oil is produced by pressing the olive paste is a very slow process in which olive oil is extracted from olives at room temperature (usually colder than usually). Unfortunately, cold pressed olive oil is an unregulated label description and often must really look hard on the bottles label to find ‘cold pressing’

Cold Pressed Olive Oil Benefits

Cold Pressed Olive Oil is a fantastic aid for any condition associated with dry skin. As I discussed in my article about organic extra virgin olive oil, olive oil be used both topically and as an internal remedy for dry skin. Here I have listed some examples where it can be used as a natural emollient:

  • Cold-pressed olive oil works as an emollient, which means it soothes and softens. It helps the itching of eczema, which is a itchy skin condition characterized by oozing lesions. But remember that this is effective only when eczema is associated with dry skin (not always).
  • Cold pressed olive oil can be used on the scalp as a remedy for extremely dry skin and hair. If you suffer from dry skin, try adding cold pressed olive oil to your diet. It doesn’t take a lot, as olive oil calories are very high.
  • The monounsaturated fats in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil help lower LDL, (bad), Cholesterol without affecting the HDL, (good), levels. Take 1 teaspoon twice daily to help lower your Cholesterol levels.

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Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Benefits

by Editor on October 7, 2009

In this article I want to focus on organic extra virgin olive oil, probably the most healthy and tasteful category of olive oil. While we have discussed the benefits of olive oil in general in a previous post, this article I will be focusing on organic olive oil and in particular in extra virgin olive oil.

Recently I read that Ancient Greeks used olive oil for skin care well before the science proved it as I described in my article olive oil benefits. The article The Surprising Skin Salvation in Your Kitchen by Dr. Baumann points out [click to continue…]

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Italian Olive Oil vs. Greek Olive Oil vs. Spanish Olive Oil – How to Choose

by Editor on October 6, 2009

Which olive oil to choose? Which oil provides the best olive oil benefits? A question even olive oil lovers (like me, of course!) must have asked themselves several times. Imagine you are in the supermarket staring at the olive oil shelf with more than 20-30 varieties of oil, in different bottles, names, origins, colours. Which one is the healthier and tastier, should I spend that extra amount to get that bottle instead of this more affordable one?

In this article I do not want to cover all the possible dimensions that can help you choose the best olive oil for your needs (everybody may have different needs after all!), but I want to help you understand more about the three main Mediterranean countries producing and exporting olive oil.

[click to continue…]

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Benefits of Olive Oil – 7 Very Healthy Reasons to Turn to Olive Oil

by Editor on October 4, 2009

Olive oil is commonly used in the Mediterranean diet (one of the most recommended for a healthy lifestyle)
and you may have heard of the olive oil brings many benefits. You may have also heard that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is even better for your health. However, I can tell you that even in those household where this great natural resource is regularly used, people may not know what the main benefits of olive oil are.

[click to continue…]

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The definitive resource about olive oil benefits, products and information on where to buy olive oil

by Editor on September 24, 2009

Hi there, my name is Vito, welcome to the first post on this newborn site!

My family is from southern Italy and for many generations has owned vast fields of olive trees and produced one of the most taste and succulent olive oils. I have travelled quite a bit and honestly can see how little is know about the benefits of olive oil, where to find the best olive oil products and how much difference there is between olive oil and olive oil.

I have therefore decided to open this website aiming at creating the a comprehensive authoritative resource on what is true about olive oil and where to find the best products worldwide. On this websites you will be able to find:

[click to continue…]

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