- Pure & Light Olive Oils are chemically extracted by-products and offer no health benefits at all even though they may look and taste like olive oil.
- The fresher the Extra Virgin Olive Oil the more health benefits attained.
- Imported Olive Oils may be several years old before they are on supermarket shelves.
- All Big Olive oils are guaranteed Cold pressed and Extra Virgin. We use the latest harvesting techniques to ensure all olives are pressed within 12-24 hours of harvest preserving all the vitamins and health benefits.
- The Big Olive produces 17 varieties of Olive fruit so we can blend to any taste and cuisine. Hence the differing brands of our Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Table Olives. All at exceptional every day value.
Types of Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This is the crème de la crème of olive oils. It has a rate of acidity that is less than 0.8 gram per 100 gram with some as low as .225%. This level of quality is achieved through cold pressing within 24 hours, thus ensuring the highest quality in both quality and taste. Such is the quality achieved from the Big Olive orchard and processing with the Sinolea method.
Virgin Olive Oil
Virgin olive oil whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is not more than 2 grams per 100 grams and whose other characteristics are in accordance with those established for the category.
Pure Olive Oil
Pure Olive Oil”; the blend of chemically refined olive oil and Virgin Olive Oil Refined means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (characterized as defects) and neutralize the acid content .These Virgin olive oil’s are those whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, is not more than 3.3 grams per 100 grams and whose other characteristics are in accordance with those established for the category.
Lite Olive Oil
This is a chemically refined olive oil which has been modified to taste lighter in flavour only
Lampante Olive Oil
Sometimes, due to unfavourable climate conditions or deficiencies in the production process, virgin olive oils have a high degree of acidity or a defective flavour, colour or aroma. These oils, called Lampante Virgin Oils, must go through a refining process to correct these defects. This process reduces the degree of acidity and eliminates the defective colour and aroma. This is how Refined Olive Oil is obtained, a product that maintains the chemical structure of olive oil but does not have any aroma or flavour. This product is not marketed, but a certain quantity of Extra Virgin, Virgin or Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil is added to the oil to give it aroma and flavour. This is how the marketed category called "Olive Oil" is obtained.
Types of Olive-Pomace Oil
Crude olive-Pomace oil
Oil obtained by treating olive pomace with solvents, not including oils obtained from re-esterification processes and from any mixture of oils with other properties, and whose other characteristics are in accordance with those established for the category.
Refined olive-pomace oil
Oil obtained by refining crude olive-pomace oil, whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, cannot be more than 0.5 grams per 100 grams and whose other characteristics are in accordance with those established for the category.
Olive-pomace oil
Oil that consists of a mixture of refined olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oils, not including lampante, whose free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, cannot be more than 1.5 grams per 100 grams and whose other characteristics are in accordance with those established for the category.
Olive pomace is the solid residue or paste obtained from the olive oil production process (during pressing or centrifugation). This residue is treated with solvents to extract the oil it contains to obtain Crude Olive-Pomace Oil. As it is not edible, it has to undergo a refining process, which is similar to the lampante virgin olive oil process, to obtain Refined Olive-Pomace Oil. This oil, with no flavour, aroma or colour, is improved with edible virgin olive oils (not including lampante) to obtain the oil called "Olive-Pomace Oil".
Tasting & Quality
The Big Olive' produces the Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil at The Big Olive Processing Plant straight from the juice of the olive harvested from its fields within very few hours i.e within 24 hours, to produce the highest quality with the most amount of anti-oxidants and preserving the great health benefits associated with the freshness which is maintained in the nectar to produce an acidity truly well below the 0.8% acidity and in most cases below 0.5% and with some cases as low as 0.2%.
The aroma and constitution is maintained in stainless steel vats at the factory within meters of the unique 'Senolia' processing machine.
Each of the nectar that the olives produce are kept seperate in designated stainless steel vats after extraction at a stable temperature of 188-22 degrees centigrade and maintained under a nitrogen film of inert gas to avoid any oxidization.
The Blending process of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an exciting adventure every year as we produce the characteristics required for the markets and cuisines around the world. We believe Extra Virgin Olive Oil is about blending different varieties to enhance their flavours and produce different blends to compliment and enhance different dishes.
The Big Olive boasts some 17 different varieties in its orchards which means we can create the most sophisticated blend to the most discerning palate and any cuisine companion.
Becoming the Olive Oil tasting Expert!
Olive oil is a natural product; a real "fruit juice" compared with the vast majority of vegetable oils which are extracted from ground oily seeds and therefore need the help of solvents.
Quality olive oil is an oily juice obtained from olives in perfect ripe conditions from a healthy olive tree. The oil is obtained from fresh fruit and any handling or treatment that alters the chemical properties of its components must be avoided, both during extraction and storage.
It is important to differentiate between "oil varieties" and "oil quality". Two different olive tree families produce different olive oil varieties, each one with a different colour, aroma and flavour, but both can have the same quality, because quality depends on a combination of factors, such as climate, the type of soil, the care taken during the production process, storage, etc.
An oil's quality is defined by the following criteria, among others:
Quality parameters
Sensory analysis
Quality
degree of acidity (quantity of fatty acids expressed as oleic acid). This is a result of, among others, the bad condition of the fruit, bad handling or bad storage. The degree of acidity of an oil IS NOT RELATED TO THE FLAVOUR
peroxide index This determines the initial oxidation of the oil and the deterioration of the natural antioxidants, such as tocopherols and polyphenols, may have suffered.
ultraviolet absorbency This is used to detect any oil's abnormal component.
Sensory analysis
organoleptic characteristics (sensations sense organs can detect, mainly related to smell and taste) They are defined by experts by tasting.
Each type of tree, depending on the producing area, has a different variety of fruit and therefore produces an oil with different chemical and organoleptic properties. And within the same variety, different oils are produced depending on factors such as microclimate, the type of soil, altitude...etc.
Tasting is therefore necessary to appreciate the character and personality of an olive oil. Tasting tells you the characteristic aroma and flavour of each oil. It is important to realise that THE COLOUR DOES NOT REFLECT THE QUALITY, which is why professional tasters use a dark blue glass so that they are not influenced by the colour.
An olive oil's aroma is appreciated by gently heating the glass and breathing in the fragrances several times to compare them with vegetable aromas (grass, fruit, etc.). As far as flavour is concerned, a few drops are enough to notice the oil's sweetness. An acid flavour is detected towards the centre of the tongue and when the oil is in contact with the palate. Bitterness or a peppery flavour is noticed at the back of the mouth. Tasters normally pour a little oil onto the tip of their tongues and then, by breathing in slowly and continuously, the oil covers the whole palate and then goes back towards the throat.
Tasting
Descriptions of Olive Oil!
Among the attributes that can define an oil are, for example:
Almondy: There can be two types: the typical fresh almond one or the dry healthy almond one. It is appreciated as an aftertaste when the oil stays in contact with the tongue or the palate and it is associated with sweet oils with a mild aroma.
Bitter: This is a characteristic flavour of oil obtained from green olives: it can be more or less pleasant, depending on its intensity.
Mild: This is neither a negative nor a positive attribute of an oil whose organoleptic characteristics are very weak, as its aromatic components have been lost.
Sweet: This is a gentle and pleasant flavour of an oil which is not exactly sugary, but the bitter, astringent or peppery attributes do not predominate.
Fruity: It reminds us of the aroma and flavour of healthy, fresh fruit picked when it is just ripe.
Ripe fruit: This recalls olive oil obtained from ripe fruit and generally has a mild aroma and sweet taste.
Grassy: Aroma and flavour characteristic of some oils that remind us of cut grass.
Green leaves:Aroma and flavour of oil obtained from over-green olives or which has been ground mixed with leaves and stalks.
Apple: Aroma and flavour of olive oil that reminds us of apples.
| OLIVE OIL BRANDS | ABOUT US | PRODUCTS | EDUCATION | INTERACTIVE | CONTACT US |