Yawning emptiness on the shelves. Because sunflower oil was temporarily hard to come by as a result of the war in Ukraine, the demand for other edible oils rose rapidly. Olive oils were also in demand. Has the run on oils led to oils of inferior quality also making it onto the market? Stiftung Warentest investigated this question and tested virgin olive oils of the highest quality. Two thirds of the 19 olive oils are good, but four are so bad that they failed the test.
Ironically, four organic oils spoil the taste of the product testers. They tasted rancid. Not only should it not be like this, it must not be like this. Sensory errors are not allowed with extra virgin olive oils. The “deficient” oils include those from Corovita and Müller. In addition to the bad taste, the testers were also annoyed by the heavy contamination with mineral oil components. All four oils, according to the test, do not meet the standards for top-grade oils and rattle through.
Among other things, the organic competition “Bertolli Bio” does it better, grade 2.1. The oil is one of the most environmentally friendly. Whoever buys it promotes organic olive cultivation. The bottle is available for 10.90 euros. The discounters supply significantly cheaper oils. And they don’t have to hide either. The cheap Aldi oil “Gut Bio Virgin Olive Oil Extra” is also “good” and easy on the wallet. The liter costs 5.75 euros.
The testers, on the other hand, get enthusiastic about one oil in particular: Crudo Sei Cinque Zero from southern Italy. This is referred to as a culinary pearl, and is the only oil that smells and tastes very well balanced, including green apples. But that also costs. 36 euros are due for one liter, it is only available on the Internet.
You can read the entire olive oil test for a fee on test.de.
