Extra Virgin Olive OIL
Olive oil is known for its health benefits, particularly to cardiovascular diseases, thanks to its vitamins A-E and its mono-unsaturated fatty acids. But all olive oils are not the same and their benefits for the body are proportionally related to the quality of olive oil consumed.
Organoleptic characteristics of oil (and its taste) vary with the variety of olive, the soil, cultural practices, stage ofmaturity at harvest and oil extraction.
Process of our oil extra virgin olive
- olive harvest
- the olives are brought to the mill within a maximum of 72 hours
- olives are weight
- and washed
- and crushed
- They are mixed with a temperature below 27° C (cold extraction) inclosed containers to minimize oxidation.
- Liquids (oil and water) and solids (core,skin,flesh ofolives) are separated with a decanter.
- Oil is separated from water with a centrifuge machine.
- The oil is recovered and stored instainless steel was protected from light.
- It is kept at a temperature between16 and 18 °C.
- Our oil is not filtered, no chemicals are used to extract the oil.
Our extravirgin olive oil is the result of a blend of three olive varieties, all grown on our Domain. Those three varieties are:
- CAILLETIER, it brings notes of almond and artichoke.
- PICHOLINE, it gives one side "fresh greens" and comes up, tone up the scent of cailletier.
- MANZANILLA,with its taste "red blueberry", it wraps and extends in the mouth.
The extra virgin olive oil Color
Our olive oil is made from mature harvested olives, therefore its color is golden.
After trituration at the mill, our olive oil is not filtered, so it is opaque, not translucent. With time and oxidation caused by contact with light and air, the oil becomes translucent and a light deposit appears at the bottom of the bottle. This deposit does not alter the quality or taste of oil.
The green extra virgin olive oil are made from olives harvested before maturity or mid-maturity. Olive Oils can be transparent if oil is filtered and/or refined.
The quality of our extra virgin olive oil
The quality of olive oil is characterized through three criteria : acidity, peroxide index and the absence of default.
The acidity : it represents the amount of oleic acid in 100 grams of olive oil. The lower is the acidity in the olive oil, the higher is quality of this olive oil. one of the conditions for olive oil to be classified as "extra virgin" is to have acidity rate below 1% (1 g of oleic acid out of 100g of olive oil).
The peroxide index : it provides information on its conservation,durability. For an extra virgin olive oil, the rate must be less than 20.
The optimization of these three criteria is "a must" for a very high extra virgin olive oil quality. Unfortunately, those informations do not appear on labels. You have to ask directly to the producer to obtain them.
At each harvest, we analyse our olive oil. For the harvest 2012, analysis of our extra virgin olive oil made on december 2011 are :
- Acidity rate : 0.28 %
- Peroxide index : 3.3
- No default
Conservation of extra virgin olive oil
Our extra virgin olive oil is a high quality olive oil which means conservation will allow you to enjoy all its benefits longer (antioxidants, vitamins ...).
Olive oil does not get better with time. Kept in good conditions, protected from light, with minimal contact with air and at a temperature around 18 ° C, olive oil is stable for several months. If you buy olive oil in can (5 Liters) after opening pour the olive oil in dry bottles. Indeed, in contact with water (although very little), the olive oil will quickly spoil. Prefer opaque bottles or metal cans.
The olive oil mill
old olive oil mill in Drap (near Nice-France)
Today, they are endangered. The condititions hygiene no longer correspond to European standards!
As individuals and for personal use, you can always make your own olive oil in this kind of mill. But for professionals, it is now just over ten years that we must adhere to strict european rules .The mills are now less picturesque but if the requirements for a quality olive oil are met then all the flavors of the olive oil can be extracted without being distorted.
Olive oil mill of Contes (near Nice-France)