Organoleptic defects and contaminants are very common in the extra virgin olive oil available in the supermarket. The French consumer magazine 60 Million Consumers proves it with a new test, published in the June 2023 issue.
Test on 24 bottles of extra virgin olive oil
The comparison involved 24 bottles of extra virgin olive oil, 11 of which were organic. All references have been tested by laboratory analysis and tasting of panel of the magazine (published by the National Consumer Institute).
The result it’s disheartening. Although the analytical parameters – such as the composition of fatty acids and sterols (vegetable lipids) – are regular, organoleptic defects and chemical contamination, dangerous for health, are rampant.
Rancid and musty taste
The taste test and olfactory rejects half of the sample. Experts found rancid, earthy, damp flavors in 6 bottles, a musty smell in 3 others. Serious defects, to have the oil downgraded from extra virgin to virgin. (1)
The cause of these alterations can be attributed to process inefficiencies, such as insufficient washing of the olives or their conservation in a humid environment, conducive to the formation of moulds.
Contamination by dangerous plastics in 96% of samples
Very bad, even worse, the result of the search for contaminants.
In 23 references out of 24 (96% of the samples) from one to three plasticizers were found, among which the phthalates classified as endocrine disruptors and reprotoxic, i.e. harmful to fertility (diethylhexyl phthalate, DEHP, and dibutyl phthalate, DBP).
The suspects they concentrate on the inappropriate use of plastic tarpaulins in olive growing.
MOSH and MOHA in 5 products
Five products they were also found to be contaminated by traces of hydrocarbons was mineral (MOSH and MOAH), carcinogenic and genotoxic. Among these, three products were found to be contaminated to an extent close to the threshold (2 mg/kg) introduced in May 2022 by the European Commission:
Simply bon et bio (Aldi),
Bio Village (E. Leclerc brand),
Organic Carapelli.
Cast iron of this contamination can be identified in environmental pollution, as well as in the exposure of olives to emissions from agricultural machinery and lubricants. The phenomenon is not new, as we have seen, but the operators of the supply chain do not seem interested in remedying it (2,3,4,5).
On the podium stands a discount
Among the 24 champions of extra virgin olive oil examined, only one is free of contaminants, Lidl’s Primadonna (Spanish origin), with a fruity and well-balanced taste, sold in France at €6,99/l.
They are placed in second and third place in the standings
Reflets de France (Carrefour), made from French DOP olives from Provence and sold at €31,30/l,
Le Château d’Estoublon Mogador, originally from France, at a price of €62,40/l.
Right off the podium, but first among the organic ones, we find the Carrefour bio, olives of EU and non-EU origin. Sold at €9,98/l, it deserves a pass because it is contaminated by plasticizers.
Marta Strinati
Photo by Barbara Jackson from Pixabay
Footnotes
(1) Dario Dongo, Giulia Pietrollini. Marketing of olive oils, reg. EU 2022/2104. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.11.22
(2) Dario Dongo, Marina De Nobili. Extra virgin olive oil, dangers and defects. The Ökotest investigation. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.6.19
(3) Marta Strinati. Extra virgin olive oil in the supermarket, the Que Choisir test. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.7.21
(4) Marta Strinati. Contaminated extra virgin olive oil. The Öko-Test comparison. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).1.5.22
(5) Giulia Pietrollini. EFSA public consultation for opinion on MOH mineral oil hydrocarbons in food. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 24.3.23
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book “Reading labels to know what we eat”.