- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
With olive trees planted in 2008 beginning to come into production, Cooperative Extension olive expert Paul Vossen predicts this year's California olive oil crush will be the highest ever, according to an article in The Olive Oil Times.
Producers are expected to squeeze 4.5 million liters of oil from olives harvested in California.
The rapid planting-to-milling rate is a result of super-high-density planting. Traditionally, about 100 olive trees were planted to the acre. With the new system, 500 trees are planted...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The USDA's new voluntary guidelines defining "extra virgin" olive oil go into effect Monday, but many of California's producers are already following even stricter regulations set down by the California Olive Oil Council, according to an article in the Ventura County Star.
USDA's guidelines allow for no defects and no more than 0.8 percent free oelic acid in olive oil labeled "extra virgin;" COOC requires no defects and no more than 0.5 percent free oleic acid.
The new guidelines come on the heels of a UC Davis Olive Center study finding that of 52 bottles of 19 brands of...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A research report released Wednesday by the UC Davis Olive Center received a tremendous amount of publicity, including articles in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press. Google News turned up two dozen stories.
In a nut shell, the report said 69 percent of imported "extra virgin" oils and ten percent of domestic "extra virgin" oils researchers analyzed did not...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Selecting an olive oil that proclaims itself "100% extra virgin" on the label doesn't ensure a high-quality product because the federal government hasn't set standards that define the terminology, according to a story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times.
Many industry officials agree that "extra virgin" olive oil is cold-processed to prevent degradation of aromatic compounds and has higher levels of healthy fats and antioxidants.
Federal law bars companies from selling a blend of oils as "olive oil," but labeling lower-quality oil as "extra virgin" is technically legal in the U.S., the article said.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
An industry blog on the website Olive Oil Times devoted a lengthy post to the UC Davis Olive Center this week. The center, established two years ago, is part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.
In the post, writer Sophia Markoulakis noted that acreage of California olive trees for oil has increased from 6,000 in 2004 to 22,000 in 2009.
"And with California producing 99 percent of the nation’s olive oil, the UC Davis Olive Center is ground zero for ongoing olive industry research and outreach,"...