DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, The Real Deal

With so many imposters out there, how do you know your extra virgin olive oil is what it claims to be?

DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil dons a red seal of authenticity that guarantees the traceability and transparency of our product. At DeLallo, we place a high value on the importance of authentic Italian ingredients. The integrity of our products is vital to our success as a trusted Italian foods brand. To back up what we say and believe in, we receive organoleptic and chemical analyses on every shipment from our production facility. This allows us to monitor the product and to fulfill our promise to you: providing a top quality olive oil that is 100% Italian, 100% cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil free from any contaminants or additives.

Our third-party testing results are posted for all to see, so take a look! We expect the best and you should too. Click here to view our latest verification results.

Many so-called “extra virgin” olive oils are blends of substandard olive oils and some aren’t even the Italian product they say they are. For instance, just because an oil is bottled in a particular country, it doesn’t mean that the olives are grown in that country.

Extra virgin Olive Oils from olives of a single country or origin and even more narrowly from a particular region or single variety are produced for quality. Conversely extra virgin olive oils made from a blend of these oils from multiple countries are done so to achieve a price, not quality.

By law, the country or countries of origin of the oils that compose an Extra Virgin Olive Oil must be stated on the label or lid. Look for them before making a purchase.

What does it take to create an authentic extra virgin olive oil?

The pressing, or in more modern technology, the extraction of the oil from pulp must be done at or below 80°F (27°C) hence the term “cold-pressed”. It cannot be extracted with heat or chemicals. These two methods (heat and chemicals) actually degrade the oil, taking away from its bold flavor and raw quality. Because extra virgin olive oil is pressed in its raw form, it retains all of its flavor as well as nutritional and health benefits, such as natural antioxidants and polyunsaturated fats.

The oil that derives from this pressing (extraction) is analyzed in two ways to be considered extra virgin.

Sensory/ Organoleptic – Certified testers review the oil for any negative attribute (there are many). If any negative aroma or flavor is detected the oil cannot be considered Extra Virgin). Also, the oil is tested for the intensity of the three positive flavor attributes Fruitiness, Spiciness & Bitterness on an increasing scale of 1 – 5.

Chemical – The oil is reviewed in a certified laboratory for its chemical composition which has tolerances and ranges of each test. If the oil fails any of these tests it cannot be considered Extra Virgin. The most important one checks that the oleic acidity is below .8% at the time of pressing.