

UC’s olive oil taste panel supports industry
The Issue
UC research taste panel tasting olive oils
What Has ANR Done?
Only the most rudimentary quality testing on olive oil can be done by laboratory chemical analysis. A group of human beings following strict tasting protocols is the only tool known that can accurately detect, identify and quantify all of the many positive and negative attributes of olive oil. In 1997, UC farm advisor Paul Vossen began screening potential tasters in an effort to develop an official olive oil taste panel based on International Olive Council (IOC) standards. In 2001, the California Taste Panel became one of 41 officially recognized IOC taste panels in the world and the first in the United States, comparable to the leading panels of Europe. Many official IOC tastings were conducted of California’s olive oils for compliance to trade standards.The California Taste Panel’s initial feedback to the industry came in the form of a seal certification program with the California Olive Oil Council (COOC), which was an attempt to give consumers assurance of quality when purchasing California olive oil. In addition to the seal, producers benefited from taste panel evaluations handled confidentially by UC in order to help them learn from mistakes and improve their oils.
The Payoff
The improvement of California’s olive oil owes much to the efforts of a scientifically selected and trained sensory evaluation panel.
Thanks in large part to UC and the efforts of the taste panel volunteers, it has become a rarity to find defects in a California olive oil. There is now a UC taste panel that devotes itself entirely to research and education, evaluating oils using the UC 15-Point Profile sheet to record extremely valuable data on the more subtle and complex aspects of olive oil. Ongoing research into the sensory effects of olive fruit fly damage and tree irrigation level on olive oil will help producers adjust their pest control measures and irrigation program to minimize environmental and financial impact while preserving oil quality. A research project comparing oil from the same olives made with different processing systems is providing valuable information for producers seeking the best methods for their particular fruit. California-specific data produced by a taste panel using internationally recognized scientific standards and methods are essential to the growth of a world-class olive oil industry.Contact
Supporting Unit:
Sonoma CountyPaul Vossen, (707) 565-2621, pmvossen@ucdavis.edu