Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with time. And while many might
wonder how long an extra virgin olive oil will stay extra virgin, there
are too many moving parts for a simple answer.
How long does an extra virgin olive oil stay that way?
This
question is first asked by olive oil producers who would display ‘Best
By Date’ information on their label. And then, by retailers and buyers
(consumers included) who would also like to have a reasonable answer.
Well, as usual, the answer is: It depends. And it causes consternation in everyone that there is no straight, simple answer.
First,
as we well know, olive oils are very different. Their antioxidant
content, usually measured as polyphenols, varies greatly among oils, as
much as two- to three-fold. These polyphenols are not only beneficial to human health, they also contribute to an oil’s longer shelf-life.
There
are also ‘filtered’ and ‘unfiltered’ olive oils in the market, with
proponents of one or the other arguing endlessly about their merits.
Filtration removes residual vegetation water from the oil, as well as
any fine sediment remaining from the olive fruit. These two elements
are usually associated with ‘freshness’ of oils that are sold as Olio Nuovo.
However, if water or sediment is left in contact with the oil, in a
short time the oil quality will suffer. That’s why Olio Nuovo is meant
to be consumed soon after harvest: in three to six months at the latest.
However,
if the same oil had been “racked,” causing fine particles to sediment
from the oil over time, or better yet, “filtered,” the same oil can
sustain its extra-virginity very likely for a year or two. More