Olive Oil Acidity

“How acidic is olive oil?” This is the question we hear most from our customers when purchasing their olive oil.

When we refer to the acidity of olive oil, we are talking about the proportion of free fatty acids in relation to oleic acid present in the oil.

The acidity of olive oil is directly related to the phytosanitary status (i.e., the “health”) of the olives at harvest and also to the way the oil is produced. 

Can we feel the acidity of the olive oil?

The quick answer is “no”! The acidity of olive oil does not refer to the bitter aftertaste that olive oil leaves on the palate or to the acid typical of citrus fruits. 

The “acidity” of olive oil is not felt sensorially, being perceptible only through laboratory analysis.  

Is the acidity indicated on the label?

In 2023, the European Union determined Regulation 2022/2104 that the acidity to be mentioned on the label must include the mention of other physicochemical parameters (such as the peroxide index), since the “acidity mentioned in isolation falsely suggests an absolute quality scale that is misleading for the consumer". 

Until now, acidity was indicated in isolation and was often taken as a deciding factor when choosing an olive oil.

Now, as we have already understood, acidity should not dictate the decision to purchase an olive oil. Especially because the classification of an olive oil as extra virgin or extra virgin already lets us know that the acidity parameter is in accordance with legal requirements. 

The importance of olive oil acidity

The importance of acidity must be understood in a specific context of the chemical analysis of olive oil and the relevance of allowing us to classify an olive oil as extra virgin or virgin. 

This qualification is made according to the results of chemical and organoleptic analysis, through which (among other parameters) acidity is determined.

It is also important to mention that extra virgin olive oil has an acidity equal to or less than 0.8% and in the case of virgin olive oil the acidity can be up to 2%..

Olive oil with an acidity higher than 2% is not suitable for human consumption – it is lampante olive oil, which has to go through a refining process to be able to be blended with extra virgin or extra virgin olive oil and give rise to what we see labeled just with “Oil”.

So, does the acidity of olive oil matter or not when choosing olive oil?

The acidity of olive oil is an important criterion for qualifying olive oil as extra virgin or virgin.

However, it should not be a guiding criterion when choosing an olive oil – precisely because contrary to the myth created around acidity, it is not possible to feel that an olive oil is more or less acidic, or that it is better or worse for the stomach (something also commonly referred to) when knowing that the acidity is 0.2% or 0.5%.

And even when comparing two extra virgin olive oils: the fact that one has a lower acidity does not in itself make it sensorially more interesting than another with higher acidity. 

Olive oil from Quinta Mourisca 

Our olive oil catalog for the 2023/2024 harvest It is made up of 5 different olive oils: Azeite Clássico, Azeite de Altitude, Azeite Madural Maduro, Green Madural Olive Oil and Azeite Negrinha do Freixo Verde.

All the olive oil we produce at Quinta Mourisca is extra virgin, that is, our oils have an acidity of less than 0.8%.  

We harvest the olives and prepare the oil following high quality criteria, resulting in our extra virgin olive oils.Our oils are cold extracted, solely through mechanical processes, and are, therefore, true “natural” olive juice. 

One of the factors that most contributes to the quality of our olive oil is the proximity of the mill we work with, located just 15 minutes from our olive groves. 

Quinta Mourisca's olive oil also differentiates itself by having organic certification, we only use manure from our herd of Churra Badana sheep to fertilize our olive groves. 

Our olive oils Clássico and Altitude also have D.O.P. certification of Trás-os-Montes, as they are prepared with a blend of typically Trás-os-Montes olives (Cobrancosa, Verdeal and Madalal).

We hope this text has been useful. Use the code – acidezazeite – to get a 10% discount on Quinta Mourisca olive oils!