Virgin vs Extra Virgin Olive Oil: What's the Difference?
Virgin and extra virgin olive oil are both obtained by pressing olives using mechanical processes, but they have different chemical and organoleptic characteristics.
Acidity, meaning the concentration of free fatty acids expressed as oleic acid, is the first parameter to consider when distinguishing between them: extra virgin olive oil must have a limit of 0.8 g per 100 g, whereas virgin olive oil has a limit of 2 g per 100 g.
EEC Regulation No. 2568/91 also governs sensory analysis. In fact, in order to assign the correct category (virgin or extra virgin olive oil), a tasting test must be carried out, with legal test value, through a so-called "Panel Test". This is a panel made up of 10 to 12 professional tasters registered in a national register who, following a codified procedure, issue an assessment of the product examined.
If the oil, when tasted, is found to be free from defects (with a median defect value of 0) and has fruitiness above 0, it will be classified as "extra virgin olive oil"; otherwise, it will be classified as "virgin olive oil".
