What we know and what we should know about virgin oils – a general introduction

Abstract

On international scale the Codex Alimentarius Standard for Named Vegetable Oils differentiates between virgin oils and cold‐pressed oils, while in Germany virgin, non‐refined and refined oils are available. Here cold‐pressed is an additional quality feature. The paper explains and comments the various definitions for vegetable oils other than olive oil obtained by mechanical extraction only, because they are partly contradictory.Resulting from gentle processing virgin oils are often appreciated by the consumers as the better oils. The answer of the present paper to the question which type of oil is better is that there is no better or worse oil, but only a better or worse suitability of an oil for application in food processing or the kitchen.Finally, the paper picks up the upcoming debate on the potential ’︁new' contaminant, 3‐MCPD‐fatty acid esters, which were found in refined oils.

Influence of impurities in raw material on sensory and physicochemical properties of cold-pressed rapeseedoil produced from conventionally and ecologically grown seeds

“…AFS.2016.3.28 290 www.food.actapol.net/ 2002). Nevertheless, the main problem of cold-pressing technology is its low yield and the varying quality of the end product, which is dependent on the quality of the raw material, the technological process applied and also the conditions of packaging and storage (Matthäus, 2012;Matthäus and Spener, 2008;Rotkiewicz and Konopka, 1998;Rotkiewicz et al, 2002). There are no uniform legal regulations related to the quality of raw materials used for cold-pressed oil production, but there are diff erent national and international standards such as Codex Alimentatrius, which specify requirements pertaining to the quality of cold-pressed oils.…”

Is the extra virgin olive oil market facing a process of differentiation? A hedonic approach to disentangle the effect of quality attributes

“…Most studies point out that consumers appear to have little knowledge about olive oil categories and properties in both non-producing countries (García-Martínez et al, 2002;Matthäus and Spener, 2008) and the traditional producing ones (Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 2001;Calatrava-Requena and González-Roa, 2003; Garcí a-Gonzá lez and Aparicio, 2010; Sottomayor et al, 2010;Torres-Ruiz et al, 2012). In fact, according to Calatrava-Requena and González-Roa (2003), the common designation of "olive oil" used for the four different market categories 1 available for consumption leads to confusion among consumers.…”

Effects of the contents of impurities and seed hulls on the quality of cold-pressed sunflower oil

“…foods rich in protective components, has been accompanied by a constant improvement on the process of edible oil production. In line with this, there appeared the need for the production of unrefined cold-pressed oil, aiming at the preservation and protection of their natural and highly valuable components (Tuberoso et al 2007;Matthäus & Spener 2008).…”

“…This assumes oil preparation solely by mechanical pressing on a screw press. After pressing, the oil is additionally purified by filtration or sedimentation, while no further quality improvement by refining is allowed (De Leonardis et al 2003;Matthäus & Spener 2008). Recent technological developments have enabled the manufacture of high-quality unrefined oils to be economically justified (Lanzani et al 1988;Contini & Moresi 1994).…”