Monday, March 4, 2013

Testing EVOO's for ingredient purity

Recently I posted about fake ingredients in foods, esp. olive oils. Then a few days ago, a friend passed on a tip to verify if it's really unadulterated olive oil. Put some EVOO in a small container and refrigerate for 2 days. If it's unadulterated, the EVOO will solidify.




I had 3 brands of First Cold-Pressed EVOO on hand, so I tried the technique. The Frantoia I use only as a finishing oil passed with flying colors. The other 2, also marked first cold-pressed EVOO, failed miserably. One was Zoe (from Spain), and the other is Bella-Famiglia (from Italy).

What kind of oil the last two have been cut with is anybody's guess. The GMO canola or soybean are about the cheapest oils, but none of the vegetable oils are very healthy for us. 

On the other hand, there is some disagreement about the reliability of the refrigerator test, although I happen to think it's the best method available to me at home.
http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/olive-oil-fridge-test/32830

3 comments:

  1. I've bought EVOO from BJ's, no particular brand. Mixed up in salad dressing and in the fridge, it solidifies, on the door shelves. No matter what brand I've used, it did this. So I guess it's not a really reliable test, as I'm sure BJ's EVOO is not the very best or most reliable.

    I guess I'd need to ferret out the reliable brand names and stick with them.

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    Replies
    1. I tested my EVOO too. The one that passed the test was the house brand of the "low price leader" supermarket here in the PNW. My peanut oil also passed the test. I guess you just never know. I am feeling a little better about my cheap EVOO now.

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  2. Pam, I agree it's probably not necessarily a reliable test. My post was partly in response to the Dr. Oz segment on the subject as well as curiosity.

    I try to see the color of the EVOO when possible. First press EVOO should be slightly cloudy from particulate matter.

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