"What is the acidity of olive oil?" This is the question we hear most often from our customers when buying their olive oil. When we refer to the acidity of olive oil, we are talking about the ratio of free fatty acids to oleic acid present in the olive oil.

The acidity of olive oil is directly related to the phytosanitary condition (i.e., the "health") of the olives at harvest and also to the method of olive oil production.

Can we taste the acidity of the olive oil?

The short answer is "no"! The acidity of olive oil does not refer to the bitter aftertaste that olive oil leaves on the palate, nor to the acidity typical of citrus fruits.

The "acidity" of olive oil is not perceived through the senses, being perceptible only through laboratory analysis.

Is the acidity level indicated on the label?

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

Until now, acidity was indicated in isolation and was often considered the deciding factor in choosing an olive oil.

Now, as we've already realized, acidity shouldn't dictate the decision to buy olive oil. This is because the classification of an olive oil as extra virgin or non-virgin already tells us that the acidity level meets legal requirements.

The importance of olive oil acidity.

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

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

It is also important to note that extra virgin olive oil has an acidity of 0.8% or less, while virgin olive oil can have an acidity of up to 2% .

Olive oil with an acidity level higher than 2% is not suitable for human consumption – this is lampante olive oil, which must undergo a refining process to be blended with extra virgin olive oil and give rise to what we see labeled simply as "Olive Oil".

So, does the acidity of olive oil matter when choosing olive oil?

The acidity of olive oil is an important criterion for classifying it 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 mentioned) by knowing that the acidity is 0.2% or 0.5%.

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

And what about the olive oil from Quinta Mourisca?

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

We harvest the olives and prepare the oil following high quality standards, resulting in our extra virgin olive oils. Our oils are cold-extracted, solely by 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 stands out for being organically certified; we only use manure from our Churra Badana sheep flock to fertilize our olive groves.