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Olive oil is the oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.).
This heading covers :(A) Virgin olive oils, which are obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means (e.g., by pressing) under conditions, and particularly thermal conditions, that do not lead to deterioration of the oil. They must have undergone no treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation or filtration.
Virgin olive oils include : (1) Virgin olive oil suitable for consumption in the natural state. It has a clear, light yellow to green colour and a specific odour and taste. (2) Lampante olive oil, which has either an off‑flavour taste or odour, or a free fatty acid content (expressed in terms of oleic acid) exceeding 3.3 g per 100 g or both these characteristics. It may be used as such for technical purposes or, after refining, for human consumption. (B) Refined olive oil, which is obtained from the virgin olive oils referred to under Part (A) above by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure, or to any other modification of the structure of the constituent fatty acids.
Refined olive oil is a clear, limpid oil containing no sediment and with a free fatty acid content (expressed in terms of oleic acid) not exceeding 0.3 g per 100 g.
It has a yellow colour and no specific odour or taste and is suitable for human consumption either by itself or as a blend with virgin olive oil. (C) Fractions and blends of the oils described under (A) and (B) above. The virgin olive oils of Part (A) can be distinguished from the oils of Parts (B) and (C) as follows : (1) Olive oils of this heading are considered to be "virgin" if their K 270 extinction coefficient (determined according to the Codex Alimentarius Commission method CAC/RM 26 ‑ 1970) is less than 0.25 or if, where it exceeds 0.25, it does not exceed 0.11 after the sample has been treated with activated alumina.
Oils having a free fatty acid content (expressed in terms of oleic acid) exceeding 3.3 g per 100 g may, after passage over activated alumina, have a K 270 extinction coefficient exceeding 0.11. In this case, after undergoing neutralisation and decolourisation in the laboratory, they must have the following characteristics :
- a K 270 extinction coefficient not exceeding 1.1
- an extinction coefficient variation, in the 270 nanometer region, exceeding 0.01 and not exceeding 0.16
or (2) Olive oils of this heading are considered to be refined if their free fatty acid content (expressed in terms of oleic acid) does not exceed 0.3 g per 100 g.
The absence of re‑esterified oils may be confirmed by determination of the sum of the palmitic and stearic acid contents at the 2‑position in the triglycerides (according to IUPAC method No. 2210, 6th Edition 1979). This sum (expressed as a percentage of the total fatty acids at the 2‑position) must be less than 1.5 % for virgin olive oils and less than 1.8 % for refined olive oils.
The olive oils of this heading can be distinguished from those of heading 15.10 by a negative Bellier reaction.
In some cases, the presence of olive‑residue oil can be established only by investigating the triterpenic diols in the unsaponifiable fraction.
This heading does not cover olive‑residue oil and blends of olive oil and olive‑residue oil (heading 15.10) or re‑esterified oil obtained from olive oil (heading 15.16).
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