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• How to read an olive oil lab report: acidity, peroxide, K232, K270 and ΔK

  The rows of figures on an olive oil lab report look cryptic at first. What do free acidity, peroxide value, K232, K270, ΔK, ethyl esters and sensory analysis measure, what are the limits for extra virgin and virgin grades, and how do you interpret a report using a worked example?

  … oil really extra virgin?", you get back a page of tables. Free acidity, peroxide, K232, K270, ΔK... a number next to each row, sometimes a limit. …

• Orhangazi olive oil starts on the road to geographical indication, with samples to be tested for acidity and polyphenols

  The Orhangazi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has begun preparing a geographical indication application for "Orhangazi Olive Oil". More than 20 producers will be consulted, samples tested in Bursa and the influence of the Lake İznik basin studied. The area's Gemlik Olive registration covers only table olives.

  … cold weather. - **Laboratory analysis:** samples collected from producers will be tested at **Bursa Food Laboratory** to establish quality characteristics, starting with [acidity](/en/what-does-acidity-mean-in-olive-oil) and [polyphenol](/en/oleocanthal-and-polyphenols) levels. …

• How is olive oil acidity measured? Titration, the formula and taking a sample

  Olive oil acidity is measured in a laboratory by titration: the oil is dissolved in a solvent, free fatty acids are neutralised with potassium hydroxide, and the percentage is calculated as oleic acid from the amount used. The formula, a worked example, sampling and the limits of home test kits.

  We explained what acidity means in olive oil, its limits and why it rises in [what does acidity mean in olive oil](/en/what-does-acidity-mean-in-olive-oil). This page focuses on …

• What Does Acidity Mean in Olive Oil?

  The 0.3% or 0.8% on the label has nothing to do with sour taste. Acidity tells you the condition of the fruit before pressing.

  The "0.3% acidity" printed on olive oil bottles gives many people the wrong idea: they assume the oil is sour. In fact the figure describes not …

• How to Read an Olive Oil Label

  Grade, harvest year, acidity, origin and bottling place: which statements on a label are binding and which are just marketing — with a quick checklist.

  … values. What the label saysWhat it meansBinding? Extra virgin olive oilMechanical extraction only, acidity at most 0.8%, no defect in the sensory panelYes — the top …

• What is an olive harvest net, and how do you choose one?

  A net spread under the tree does two jobs at once: it keeps the fruit off the soil and it speeds up collection. Olives that touch the ground give higher-acidity oil, and fruit left on the ground feeds the next generation of olive fruit fly. Here is how to choose a net — material, weight, size — and how to lay it.

  … gets crushed or picks up mud sees microbial activity accelerate, and the **free fatty acidity** of the resulting oil rises. According to the quality and harvest …

• How are olives harvested? What five picking methods cost the tree and the oil

  Hand picking, poles, combs, trunk shakers and straddle harvesters each charge a different bill — to the fruit, to the tree and to the acidity of the oil. Which method suits which grove, and what goes wrong on harvest day.

  … and the **free fatty acidity** of the oil rises. Fruit that comes off the branch undamaged and fruit that hits the ground do not produce the …

• How soon must harvested olives be pressed? What waiting writes into the oil

  The right answer is 24 hours, with 48 as the outer limit. Measurements on 228 batches across seven mills show that olives left waiting lose 42% of their polyphenols, more than half of their green aroma and a third of their oxidative stability — even while staying inside the legal acidity limit. In an 'on' year, with mill queues lengthening, this is the grower's most critical call.

  … h2-3 days4-6 days≥7 days Free acidity (g/100 g)0.300.370.510.56 Peroxide (meq O₂/kg)6.969.038.679.56 K2321.481.641.551.66 Total phenols (mg/kg)246.0202.5179.2143.6 Oxidative stability (hours)28.2822.6016.9019.91 Fruitiness (sensory)2.251.981.791.75 Green notes1.360.920.640.57 Bitterness2.161.761.351.40 Pungency1.931.741.431.41 Defect intensity0.290.340.790.57 …

• What is riviera olive oil? How it differs from extra virgin, and what the label means

  Riviera is not a grade of quality but the name of a blend: refined olive oil mixed with virgin olive oil fit for direct consumption. Under the Turkish Food Codex its free acidity may not exceed 1.0 and its peroxide value 15. What refining removes, what the label is obliged to say, and the real answer to the frying question.

  … Codex Regulation on Olive Oil and Pomace Oil**, under which the free acidity of riviera olive oil may not exceed **1.0 gram** per 100 grams and …

• The EU's newest olive oil registration is in northern Italy: Olio dei Colli di Bologna gets PGI status

  The European Commission has entered olive oil from the hills of Bologna into the Union register of geographical indications. The specification caps free acidity at 0.3 percent, well under a third of the legal limit for extra virgin, and writes five local Bolognese cultivars into the definition.

  … 2026 Free aciditymax 0.3% Polyphenolsmin 150 mg/kg Share in single-cultivar oilmin 85% Share in blended oilmin 80% Two of those numbers deserve a second look. **Free …

• Soma Olive Oil: how a cooler climate lifts yield in a lignite basin

  Registered in 2023. Mean temperature 15.3 °C; the certificate ties that relative coolness to yields reaching 796 kg/da. Free acidity 0.18-0.55.

  … 0.003 Total biophenols163 – 229 mg/kg **Peroxide of 3.20-8.70** is very low against a codex ceiling of 20. Free acidity reaching as low as 0.18 is …

• Derik Halhalı Olive Oil: a burn reminiscent of red pepper

  Registered in 2022. Low acidity (0.29-0.60%) and high phenols; the certificate describes the pungency directly — a lasting burn spreading over tongue and lips.

  … Mardin CultivarHalhalı ## What the certificate says > It has a low free acidity and a high phenolic content. For this reason, once taken into the …

• Akhisar Domat Olive Oil: stricter limits than its twin

  Registered in 2017. Set against the Uslu oil registered the same day the difference is clear: peroxide ≤17 and acidity ≤0.65, both narrower.

  … from its twin Criterion Domat (1055) Uslu (1056) Peroxide value≤ 17≤ 20 Free acidity≤ 0.65≤ 0.8 The Domat oil commits to a narrower band on both …

• Which olive oil is the best quality?

  The three measures that decide olive oil quality: grade, acidity and harvest year, plus how to read a label.

  … but **three measurable things**: the grade (is it extra virgin), the acidity, and how fresh it is. All three appear on the label and can be …

• The Olive Harvest: When and How

  Early harvest or late? The timing of picking directly determines the oil's acidity, polyphenols and yield.

  … oil ages faster. And as the fruit softens, the risk of bruising and fermentation rises — which raises acidity. ## Methods of picking **Hand stripping.** The …

• Extra Virgin, Virgin, Riviera: Olive Oil Grades Explained

  What do 'extra virgin', 'riviera' and 'refined' mean on the label? The difference lies in the production method and acidity.

  … verdict of a tasting panel. ## The short answer GradeHow it is obtainedAcidityBest use Extra virginMechanical only, no defects≤ 0.8%Raw use, salads, olive oil dishes VirginMechanical …

• Olive Oil

  The difference between extra virgin, virgin, refined and riviera; what acidity means, how cold pressing works and how to store oil.

  … Oil is obtained by processing harvested olives within 24 hours and maintaining an acidity level below 0.8%. All chemical treatments are strictly prohibited. Olive Oil Classification …

• The Olive: Tree, History, Production and Future

  The botany, history and uses of the olive tree; current production figures worldwide and in Turkey, provinces, varieties and the sector's future — with tables.

• The Olive Sector in Turkey: Structure, Exports and Challenges

  Production, exports, business structure and price: the Turkish olive sector in figures, and where the chain breaks.

  … Olive and Olive Oil Exporters' Association and TİM; production figures from TurkStat and the IOC; the price comparison from our own [market page](/en/olive-market). All figures carry …

• Geographical Indication Olives and Olive Oils of Turkey

  Türkiye's registered olive and olive oil geographical indications: which product, which locality, under what conditions — and what registration means.

  … that the oil is extra virgin, that its acidity is low, or that it was harvested early. Those are separate measures — see [grades](/en/extra-virgin-virgin-riviera-olive-oil-grades-explained) and [acidity](/en/what-does-acidity-mean-in-olive-oil). …

• Olive and Olive Oil Glossary

  Oleuropein, lampante, pomace, malaxation, designation of origin… Short, verifiable definitions of olive and olive oil terms.

  … extracted by mechanical means only, with free acidity at most 0.8% and no defect in the sensory panel. Virgin Also mechanically extracted, with acidity up to …

• Olive Oil Fraud and Adulteration: How It Is Done and How It Is Caught

  Seed oil blending, refined oil sold as extra virgin, soft deodorisation… The economics of fraud, the laboratory methods, and the home tests that do not work.

  … as extra virgin.** Defective or high-acidity oil is refined, blended with a little virgin oil and labelled extra virgin. Acidity comes out low, but there are …

• Olives and Olive Oil: Frequently Asked Questions

  Does the fridge test work, what separates extra virgin from riviera, can you fry with olive oil? The 18 most common questions, answered briefly.

  … virgin is extracted by mechanical means only, has free acidity of at most 0.8% and must show no defect in the sensory panel. Riviera is refined …

• The Olive Calendar: The Olive Year Month by Month

  When to prune, when it flowers, which olives are picked when — the year of the tree and the grower, month by month.

  … The fruit turns — from green to purple — and for most growers this is the ideal balance. Harvest and pressing are at their most intense. …

• How did olive oil prices open the 2026/27 season?

  The first exchange registrations of October 2026 compared with the same weeks of the previous five seasons, in lira and euros: Edremit extra virgin is up 4% in lira and down 8% in euros; Spanish producer prices fell 20% in a year. The opening is thin, and Spain is the only major producer with an official supply figure.

  … of this premium in our [Turkey-Europe comparison](/en/is-turkish-olive-oil-cheap-europe-price-comparison). ## How does the supply side frame the opening? **Spain.** According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's …

• What does "first pressing" olive oil actually mean?

  "First pressing" on its own is not a term defined in Turkish food law. Two expressions are defined — "first cold press" and "cold extraction" — and they describe different production methods. Using the text of the regulation itself, this piece explains the difference and what on the label is actually binding.

  … CategoryMaximum free acidity Extra virgin olive oil0.8 g / 100 g Virgin olive oil2.0 g / 100 g Refined olive oil0.3 g / 100 g Riviera …

• Should harvested olives be carried in crates or in sacks?

  The cheapest decision of the harvest season is also one of the decisions that sets the grade of the oil. Three separate defects in the International Olive Council's vocabulary are defined directly by how the fruit was held after picking — and all three describe what a sack does.

  … free acidity. Under Turkey's Olive Oil and Olive Pomace Oil Regulation of 17 September 2017 (No. 2017/26), the free acidity limit is **0.8%** for extra virgin …

• Why is freshly pressed olive oil cloudy, and should you wait for it to settle?

  Oil straight from the mill is cloudy for a simple reason: droplets of water and fragments of fruit stay suspended in it. Cloudiness on its own is neither a mark of quality nor a defect. What matters is how long the sediment stays in contact with the oil, because that is where the actual defect is born.

  … 17 September 2017 (No. 2017/26), extra virgin olive oil must have free acidity of **at most 0.8%** expressed as oleic acid, a peroxide value of **at …

• How do you reduce the salt in olives?

  Draining the brine does not remove the salt — it has worked its way into the flesh. A Spanish study measured that soaking in water cuts sodium by 61-72%, but the same process also carries away up to 78% of the potassium and softens the fruit. The legal salt ceiling for table olives is 8% by weight, and the "low salt" claim requires no more than 4 grams per 100. Which method works how well, and what does each one give up?

  … at home The practical method that follows from the data above: 1. Take the olives out of their brine and put them into **plenty of unsalted …

• How much olive oil comes from one kilo of olives?

  On the Turkish average, one kilo of olives gives around 170 grams of oil — about 185 millilitres. Put the other way round: a litre of oil needs 5 to 5.5 kilos of olives. Almost all the confusion in the calculation comes from treating kilos and litres as the same thing.

  … Two-phase and three-phase systems also behave differently — the distinction has its place on the list of [questions to ask when having olives pressed](/en/what-to-check-when-having-olives-pressed-at-a-mill). One more …

• That white film on your olive brine: mould or yeast?

  The white layer that forms on home-brined olives is usually not mould but a film-forming yeast — though that does not make it harmless. There are visible criteria for telling them apart. Together with the pH and salt ceilings the Turkish Food Codex sets for brine, here is what can be saved and what has to be thrown out.

  … brined olives is not only salt but, arguably more, the acidity produced by fermentation. When yeast eats that acid, **the pH rises** — and a rising …

• Does olive oil have a use-by date? Best-before dates, shelf life and oil past its date

  Olive oil carries a best-before date, not a use-by date. Under the Turkish ministry's shelf-life guideline, oil past that date may be consumed, sold or donated if it was stored properly and its appearance, smell and taste are normal. Shelf life is set by the operator rather than by legislation — and even the format of the date reveals how long it is.

  … shift quickly on the shelf. The peroxide value, by contrast, is a direct record of storage — it rises with exposure to light and heat. The …

• Does olive oil solidify in the fridge?

  Olive oil solidifies in the fridge, but this is not a purity test: sunflower and canola oil do the same. The rate depends on variety and fatty acid composition.

  … in composition. There is no reliable way to detect adulteration by eye at home. That requires laboratory analysis: acidity, peroxide value, K232 and K270, and the …

• When does the olive harvest begin?

  The harvest starts in late September and runs into February. Erkence is earliest, Memecik hangs into mid-December, and Mission's table and oil harvests are two months apart.

  … and there is a trade-off: - **Early harvest** means the fruit has not filled with oil. The same weight of olives gives less oil, so yield …

• Twenty-one olive oils on the ministry's adulteration list in one day, eleven from a single Antakya business

  Of the 40 records added to Turkey's counterfeit-and-adulteration list on 23 September 2026, 21 are olive oil, and 20 of those were found to contain seed oil. Eleven records belong to a single business registered in Antakya, marketing under Aegean origin names such as Ayvalık, Akçay-Altınoluk and Kazdağları. Sixteen of the containers were five litres.

  … and Forestry, Directorate General of Food and Control, Food Public Announcement — "Counterfeit or Adulterated Foods (Addition of a Substance Not Carrying the Same Value)" list; …

• Antalya's crop is up 30%: of 70,000 tonnes of olives, 55,000-60,000 head for the mill

  According to the Antalya Commodity Exchange, the province's olive crop is rising about 30% from some 55,000 tonnes last season to around 70,000 tonnes, with 13,000-14,000 tonnes of olive oil and 10,000-15,000 tonnes of brined fruit expected. Harvest opened on 15 September. There is movement on the registration front too: an EU application has been filed for the Tavşan Yüreği olive, and a geographical indication file is under way for the Beylik variety.

  … pressing; the checklist in [what to check when having olives pressed at a mill](/en/what-to-check-when-having-olives-pressed-at-a-mill) applies to this season too. ## Why Antalya matters Antalya produces both …

• Gaza's olive report: 150,000 trees left of two million, production down 87.5%

  According to a report from Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture, olive groves have shrunk from 50,000 dunums to 5,000 and the olive crop from 40,000 tonnes to 5,000. The loss is not confined to the grove: milling capacity has fallen from 150 tonnes an hour to 25, and the number of growers from 20,000 to 1,000.

  … therefore loses value at a stage after the tree. Curing has been hit harder still: capacity down from 1,500 tonnes to 200, a seventh of what …

• Orhangazi's crop is doubling: the oil olive share climbs from 10% to 40%

  According to figures from the Orhangazi District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, last season's crop of roughly 35,000 tonnes could double this year. But in Türkiye's table olive heartland the real shift is in the split: the share pressed for oil is expected to rise from 10% to 40%. Mills are already in maintenance, and the grower's income now depends on fruit size.

  … forms outside the mill is written directly into oil quality. As we set out in [what to check when having olives pressed at a mill](/en/what-to-check-when-having-olives-pressed-at-a-mill), the …

• What to check when having your olives pressed at a mill: a grower's checklist

  The same olives can give a very different oil when pressed at a different mill under different conditions. From what to do before bringing olives in to two-phase versus three-phase systems, kneading temperature, yield, milling fees and the questions to ask when collecting the oil, here is what a grower having olives pressed needs to know.

  … warming heap. The result shows up directly in the lab report as **acidity**. We explain [what acidity means](/en/what-does-acidity-mean-in-olive-oil) in a separate article. That is why the …

• How to store freshly pressed olive oil: settling, sediment and the right container

  Oil fresh from the mill is cloudy and contains water and fruit particles. It is left to settle for a few weeks somewhere cool and dark in a container filled to the top, then the clear oil is separated from the sediment and moved into tins or dark glass. Oil left sitting on its sediment for months spoils.

  … a separate article. ## Reading notes Settling time depends on how cloudy the oil is, the size of the container and the ambient temperature. The steps …