Differences between an Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Virgin Olive Oil

Why use an extra virgin olive oil instead of an olive oil?

First, let’s learn about the differences:

An extra virgin olive oil or EVO oil is a product that must have very specific organoleptic and chemical characteristics to be called such.

The acidity must never exceed 0.8 grams per 100 grams and its aromas to the nose and its consistency must exceed specific tasting parameters.

Extra virgin olive oil is extracted from olives using mechanical processes inside the mill through 4 simple steps:

1. Washing the olives (to eliminate residues after harvesting)
2. Defoliation (elimination of leaves)
3. Milling (crushing of the olives and subsequent kneading for a maximum of 25 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 27°, in order to receive the wording “Cold extracted”).
4. Centrifugation (separation of the 3 bodies contained in an olive, such as water, oil and stone)

At the end of the processing, filtration is important but also optional, which can be done partially to eliminate any post-processing residues.
The last step is conservation in steel silos, essential to preserve all the organoleptic characteristics that characterize a quality extra virgin olive oil.
Olive oil is a mixture composed of a refined oil and a virgin oil. We are therefore talking about a product chemically processed inside refineries and an oil that contains lower quality standards than an extra virgin olive oil, but extracted with the same processing procedures. The acidity of this type of oil must not exceed 1 gram per 100 grams.