Laconiko Oil Average Acidity

The International Olive Council (IOC) classifies olive oil into three grades: virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, and pomace olive oil. These are further subdivided into nine categories. The highest-grade olive oil is classified as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), with an acidity of 0.8% or less. The lowest-grade pomace oil (olive oil re-extracted from olive pomace using chemical solvents) has no nutritional value and is not considered edible in Japan. All Laconiko products are classified as EVOO. Judging EVOO solely by its acidity can sometimes lead to misjudgment of its authenticity. Sometimes, consumers are deceived by mixing pomace oil with virgin olive oil to lower the acidity. True EVOO has a positive impact on health, which is why Laconiko, under its motto of "Be simple and honest," is committed to providing customers with the purest and highest quality EVOO. It is impossible to achieve both quantity and quality in EVOO harvesting. We make various efforts to provide you with EVOO at its highest nutritional value. Generally, countries along the Mediterranean coast harvest olives in January and February. However, Laconiko harvests in November. In late autumn, the olives are still young, unripe, and green. To maintain the freshness of the olive oil, Laconiko presses the olives within 4 hours of harvesting. This results in a very high content of polyphenols (antioxidants) and rich, high nutritional value.

With such efforts, the acidity of Laconiko's EVOO averages between 0.13% and 0.17%, which is significantly lower than the 0.8% set by the IOC. From a corporate profit perspective, pressing ripe purple olives would yield more oil and higher profits. There is more than twice the difference between ripe purple olives and unripe green olives. However, purple olives have a very high oil acid value and a very low content of antioxidant polyphenols (which are considered good for blood vessel antioxidant activity, skin, and health). Early harvesting means losing enormous profits; it takes 8 pounds to press 1 kilogram of olive oil. If harvesting is delayed by one or two months, the total oil yield more than doubles. We sacrifice yield to produce high-quality EVOO, and its polyphenol content alone is more than twice that of general EVOO. The reason Laconiko is committed to quality is not only because we want consumers to taste the highest quality EVOO, but also because we bear the mission of being No. 1 in Greece. We will never compromise on our pursuit of quality.

In fact, in addition to acidity, flavor is also very important for EVOO. There are three major international competitions in the world: NY IOOC (New York), EVO IOOC (Italy), and ATH IOOC (Athens). These three competitions invite only top-tier international judges for scoring. Being at the top of these three competitions means being recognized as world-class. Laconiko consistently receives gold medals for its unique Mediterranean flavor. Not only traditional EVOO, but also many flavored EVOOs have received gold medals. While pursuing quality, Laconiko is constantly developing new flavored EVOOs to provide customers with diverse choices. We appreciate your continued support.

Article: Cooking Risas