The SWR television program “Marktcheck” compared eight olive oils in different price categories and brands with regard to quality, pollutants and prices.
When it
comes to
the question of
olive oil quality and prices, opinions
differ.
While some only buy organic goods from the deli, others can only afford a bottle of oil from the discounter.
Branded products
can cost up to 14 euros per bottle, while half a liter of olive oil * can be had at
discount stores
for two to three euros.
But not only the price alone should be decisive in the selection.
There are also clear differences in taste.
But does expensive automatically mean better?
Olive oils in the test: These varieties were tested
The
SWR “Marktcheck” program
tested eight olive oils in November 2020, including an expensive branded oil, three branded oils from the supermarket and four inexpensive own brands.
Ingredients and pollutants were examined in random samples, but also the taste.
olive oil |
Price per 500 ml |
|---|---|
Solivellas Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
approx. 14 euros |
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Originals |
about 5 euros |
La Española extra virgin olive oil |
about 6 euros |
Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
about 5 euros |
Cantinelle extra virgin olive oil (Aldi Süd own brand) |
3.60 euros |
Primadonna extra virgin olive oil (Lidl own brand) |
3.60 euros |
Good & cheap extra virgin olive oil (Edeka own brand) |
3.60 euros |
Best choice extra virgin olive oil (Rewe own brand) |
4 euros |
All oils belong to the
highest quality class "extra virgin"
.
This means that they must not contain any chemical additives, be cold-pressed and have a perfect taste.
In addition, the proportion of free fatty acids must not exceed 0.8 grams per 100 grams of oil - however, "Marktcheck" points out that in practice manufacturers sometimes mix different oils until the limit value is reached.
Also read:
Holiday Feeling - This is how you bake crispy and juicy olive bread.
Olive oils put to the test: none of them convince in laboratory tests
The food chemist and olive oil expert Christian Gertz examined the oils for the program.
According to the expert, fast processing plays a crucial role in the good quality of the oil.
If there was too much time between the olive harvest and the pressing process, you could taste it.
The natural fat component of the oil also indicates how well the olives were stored and processed.
Terrifying result of the analysis:
none of the eight olive oils tested were convincing.
The most expensive oil from Solivellas in particular attracts attention negatively: it has the lowest diglyceride content, which is an important characteristic of good oil.
The chemist notices an acrid, pungent taste in the Rewe product.
Similar sensory errors occur with the oils from Filippo Berio and Solivellas - even though the EU olive oil regulation does not allow any adulteration of taste or smell in the quality level "extra native".
+
The SWR “Marktcheck” compared different types of extra virgin olive oil.
© imago-images
The oils are also examined for harmful substances in a laboratory.
In the past, mineral oil residues in the form of the chemical compounds MOAH and MOSH were repeatedly found in olive oils.
These are suspected of being carcinogenic.
At least in this regard, the all-clear can be given for the oils examined here.
Also interesting:
the five best oils for cooking, frying, baking and deep-frying.
Olive oils in the test: which one is the winner in terms of taste?
A
pizza baker, his mother and two friends were used
for the
taste test
in the SWR program.
The oil was tasted pure and with ciabatta.
You can recognize a good olive oil by these criteria:
It tastes of olive and fruity.
It can be slightly spicy, but not biting.
It must have a pleasant smell.
The
oils from Aldi Süd, Filippo Berio and Rewe are
convincing in
terms of
taste and smell
.
According to the testers, the Bertolli olive oil hardly tastes or smells like anything.
The oils from Edeka, La Espanola and Lidl could not convince either.
And the expensive branded product from Solivellas (promotional link)?
The testers are particularly convinced of this and praise the round, balanced taste.
Olive oils in the test: the “market check” conclusion - cheap vs. expensive
Even if the most expensive olive oil was able to inspire taste in the Solivellas test, it did not shine in the laboratory tests with regard to the ingredients.
Filippo Berio's oil also scores poorly overall.
The Bertolli oil has better laboratory values, but was voted last in the tasting.
The test winner
is actually the cheap olive oil from Aldi Süd: It can convince with a solid taste and unproblematic laboratory results.
The test results from “Marktcheck” largely coincide with those from Stiftung Warentest from the beginning of 2020: You
can also get
good quality olive oil
from
discounters
.
(mad) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Read more:
Aufbackbrötchen at Stiftung Warentest: Expensive organic manufacturer only gets a rating of "sufficient".
Whistle on the best before date: This is how you can tell whether a food is spoiled
Whistle on the best before date: This is how you can tell whether a food is spoiled
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List of rubric lists: © imago-images
