Olive oils in the test Does good oil always have to be expensive?

Olive oils from the supermarket and the discounter: Not every expensive product convinces

Olive oils are among the most popular edible oils of the Germans. The selection is often not easy: In supermarkets and discounters countless varieties are to be found. The prices vary enormously. Is it worth it to spend more money for good quality? Here can help a recent investigation of the Stiftung Warentest. The experts discovered that not every expensive product convinces.

One of the best edible oils

Olive oil is one of the best edible oils for the kitchen. It is especially popular with people who are inclined to the Mediterranean diet. There are many varieties on the market. Consumers expect olive oil above all quality and assured origin. Unfortunately, this oil ranks high in the top 10 food scams. A recent investigation by Stiftung Warentest can help distinguish good from bad goods.

Stiftung Warentest has examined 27 "extra virgin" olive oils. They found that good oils have their price but do not convince every expensive product. (Image: luigi giordano / fotolia.com)

27 olive oils in the test

Almost all olive oils in German trade are called "extra virgin" - or "extra virgin", as the Italians say. So they promise the highest quality - regardless of whether they cost five or 36 euros per liter. Is it worth it to spend more money?

Stiftung Warentest has examined 27 "extra virgin" olive oils, including brands such as Bertolli, Sasso or Gaea and private labels of Aldi, Lidl, Edeka, dm, Rossmann and Rewe. Among the products tested was organic olive oil.

The testers discovered: Sensory very good oils have their price. But not every expensive oil could convince. And: Two oils should not have been sold as "extra virgin" and are therefore deficient.

Two oils are not great

Although the legal rules for olive oil have been steadily expanded for several years and harmonized at EU level, these products are still often subject to a great deal of misleading labels.

"In EU Regulation 61/2011, the quality grades for olive oil were regulated: For the consumer, the" Native Olive Oil "and the" Extra Virgin Olive Oil Extra "are probably the most important," explains TÜV Süd on its website.

"Extra virgin olive oil - also called extra vergin - must be obtained directly from the olives using only mechanical methods. Heat above 40 degrees Celsius is not allowed, "say the experts.

And: "This grade should have only a very low acidity (less than 0.8%) and no sensory errors. It is also referred to as Category 1 olive oil. By contrast, extra virgin olive oil may contain a little more acid (up to 2%). "

Two Greek oils in the current test do not meet this requirement, they have detected sensory errors. One tastes old and stingy according to the testers, the other rancid and olives that have suffered frost damage.

The judgment is therefore inadequate. They should only be sold as "native", but not as "extra virgin".

Three taste highlights

The tasteful variety of olive oils is great. Expressive products smell and taste intense fruity, but also bitter and spicy. They are particularly balanced - so a taste experience.

Intense and versatile notes of flowers, freshly cut grass, fruits or almonds characterize them.

Three oils in the test are taste highlights and score very well in the sensory test. They come from Spain or Italy, cost 24 to 36 euros per liter and are thus among the most expensive products in the test.

Because of bad labeling, however, they get minus points. The cheapest of the four good is no longer available: Aldi Süd had offered it in the summer as a promotional item for ten euros per liter.

For frying and baking are also mixtures

The current test confirms what the testers of Stiftung Warentest found out last year:

Cheap olive oils for less than ten euros per liter are often blends of olive oils of various origins - average bulk goods, which in the test at best performs satisfactorily.

For roasting meat or vegetables and pizza but they are enough. Because when heated, the volatile aroma components are lost in the oil anyway.

Less contaminated with pollutants

According to the testers, it is pleasing that in the current test the olive oils are partly sensory better and also less contaminated than in the tests of the past two years. Not a single olive oil was good in 2017, only one in 2016.

In both predecessor tests, there were rows of poor judgments. This time, none of the products performs poorly due to pollutants. No plasticizers were detected.

No olive oil was significantly contaminated with pesticides, solvents or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Mineral oils remain a problem

The only problem remain mineral oils. All products in the current test contain saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons, MOSH.

According to experts, these can accumulate in lymph nodes, liver, spleen and adipose tissue and damage organs - in animal experiments, scientists have detected damage to the liver and lymph nodes.

Six olive oils are clearly burdened with it and therefore cut off pollutants only sufficiently at the test point. More than every third product contains the more critical aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons, called MOAH - but not in high concentrations.

MOAH are considered to be particularly dangerous: this group contains substances that can cause cancer in the least amounts.

According to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) "there should be no demonstrable transition from MOAH to food."

However, there are no limits at European or national level for these contaminants.

Nine of the 27 products in the test still achieve good pollutants, one is even almost pollutant free. The exact results can be downloaded for a fee from the Stiftung Warentest website. (Ad)