Article 1. Olive Oil Grades of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 104. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 9. >> Article 1.
"Olive oil," as used in this chapter means the edible oil
obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europea L.) to
the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or reesterification
processes and of any mixture with oils of other kinds except in the
making of flavored olive oil, as defined in Section 112878.
The hierarchy for virgin olive oil grades shall be, from
highest to lowest, extra-virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, and
virgin olive oil not fit for human consumption, sometimes known as
lampante virgin olive oil, which shall be the lowest level of quality
among the virgin olive oils. In terms of hierarchy, olive oil and
refined olive oil shall fall below the virgin olive oil category.
Olive oil grades shall be in the following categories:
(a) Virgin olive oils.
(1) Extra virgin olive oil.
(2) Virgin olive oil.
(3) Virgin olive oil not fit for human consumption without further
processing, sometimes known as lampante virgin olive oil.
(b) Olive oil.
(c) Refined olive oil.
The hierarchy for olive-pomace oil grades shall be, from
highest to lowest, olive-pomace oil, refined olive-pomace oil, and
crude olive-pomace oil, which is the lowest level of quality among
the olive-pomace oils. Olive-pomace oil grades shall be in the
following categories:
(a) Olive-pomace oil.
(b) Refined olive-pomace oil.
(c) Crude olive-pomace oil.
Olive oil grades are defined as follows:
(a) "Virgin olive oils" are the oils obtained from the fruit of
the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under
conditions, including thermal conditions, that do not lead to
alterations in the oil, and that have not undergone any treatment
other than washing, decanting, centrifuging, and filtration. Virgin
olive oils without further processing include:
(1) "Extra virgin olive oil" is virgin olive oil that has
excellent flavor and odor expressed as a median of defects equal to
zero and a median of fruitiness greater than zero, has a free fatty
acid content, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.8 grams per
100 grams oil, has a peroxide value of not more than 20
milliequivalent peroxide oxygen per kilogram oil and meets the
additional requirements for "United States Extra Virgin Olive Oil"
outlined in the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and
Olive-Pomace Oil published in the Federal Register that are in effect
on October 25, 2010.
(2) "Virgin olive oil" is virgin olive oil that has reasonably
good flavor and odor expressed as a median of defects between zero
and 2.5 and a median of fruitiness greater than zero, has a free
fatty acid content, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 2 grams
per 100 grams oil, has a peroxide value of not more than 20
milliequivalent peroxide oxygen per kilogram oil, and meets the
additional requirements for "United States Virgin Olive Oil" outlined
in the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and
Olive-Pomace Oil published in the Federal Register that are in effect
on October 25, 2010.
(3) "Virgin olive oil not fit for human consumption without
further processing," sometimes known as "lampante virgin olive oil,"
is virgin olive oil which has poor flavor and odor expressed as a
median of defects between 2.5 and 6.0 or when the median of defects
is less than or equal to 2.5 and the median of fruitiness is zero,
has a free fatty acid content, expressed as oleic acid, of more than
2 grams per 100 grams, and meets the additional requirements of the
"United States Virgin Olive Oil Not Fit For Human Consumption Without
Further Processing" as outlined in the United States Standards for
Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil published in the Federal
Register that are in effect on October 25, 2010. This grade of olive
oil is intended for refining or for purposes other than food use.
(b) "Olive oil" is the oil consisting of a blend of refined olive
oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption without further
processing. It has a free fatty acid content, expressed as oleic
acid, of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams oil and meets the
additional requirements for "United States Olive Oil" described in
the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace
Oil published in the Federal Register that are in effect on October
25, 2010.
(c) "Refined olive oil" is the olive oil obtained from virgin
olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the
initial glyceridic structure (basic glycerin-fatty acid content). It
has a free fatty acid content, expressed as oleic acid, of not more
than 0.3 grams per 100 grams oil, and meets the additional
requirements for "United States Refined Olive Oil" described in the
United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil
published in the Federal Register that are in effect on October 25,
2010.
(d) "Olive-pomace oil" is oil obtained by treating olive pomace,
which is the product that remains after the mechanical extraction of
olive oil, with solvents or other physical treatments, to the
exclusion of oils obtained by synthetic processes and a mixture with
oils of other kinds. Olive-pomace oils shall be labeled and marketed
with the following designations and definitions:
(1) "Olive-pomace oil" is the oil comprising the blend of refined
olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption without
further processing. It has a free fatty acid content, expressed as
oleic acid, of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams oil, and meets the
additional requirements for "United States Olive-Pomace Oil" outlined
in the United States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and
Olive-Pomace Oil published in the Federal Register that are in effect
on October 25, 2010.
(2) "Refined olive-pomace oil" is the oil obtained from crude
olive-pomace oil by refining methods that do not lead to alterations
in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free fatty acid
content, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100
grams oil, and meets the additional requirements for "United States
Refined Olive-Pomace Oil" outlined in the United States Standards for
Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil Published in the Federal
Register that are in effect on October 25, 2010.
(3) "Crude olive-pomace oil" is olive-pomace oil that is intended
for refining for use for human consumption or that is intended for
technical use and that meets the requirements for "United States
Crude Olive-Pomace Oil" outlined in the United States Standards for
Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil published in the Federal
Register that are in effect on October 25, 2010.
"Flavored olive oil," as used in this chapter, means extra
virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, or olive oil, that is mixed with
a flavoring, or olives that are processed into oil with any fruit,
vegetable, herb, nut, seed, or spice and the product resulting from
either process contains not less than 90 percent extra virgin olive
oil, virgin olive oil, or olive oil, and is labeled for sale as an
olive oil that has been flavored.
"Imitation olive oil," as used in this chapter, means the
mixture of any edible oil artificially colored or flavored to
resemble olive oil.
For purposes this chapter, the following definitions shall
apply:
(a) "Median of defects" means a calculation of the median score
from a panel of tasters that characterizes the negative flavor and
odor attributes of virgin olive oil, such as, but not limited to,
musty, fusty, winey-vinegary, muddy-sediment, and rancid.
(b) "Median of fruitiness" means a calculation of the median score
from a panel of tasters that characterizes virgin olive oil produced
from olives, such as, but not limited to, olive, apple, green,
sweet, grass, nutty, and tomato.
(c) "Panel of tasters" means the method of analyzing organoleptic
characteristics of virgin olive oil, as defined in the United States
Standards for Grades of Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil published in
the Federal Register that are in effect on October 25, 2010.