Our Premium Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a monocultivar, cold-pressed, organic oil made from olives picked early in the season. Like any pre-packed food in Great Britain, it carries a nutrition table. The numbers are easier to read once you know what each line is measuring, so here is a plain guide.
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 3696kJ / 899kcal
- Fat: 91g (saturates 13g)
- Carbohydrate, sugar, protein: 0g
- Polyphenols: 55.5mg
Kilojoules and kilocalories
Energy is given twice because labels use two units. The kilocalorie is what most of us call a "calorie" (food labels drop the "kilo"), while the kilojoule is the metric unit of energy. One kilocalorie is 4.184 kilojoules, so a kilojoule figure is always a little over four times the kilocalorie one. Both describe the same thing: the energy the food provides.
The NHS notes that fat provides 9 kcal per gram, against 4 kcal per gram for carbohydrate and protein. Because this oil is almost all fat, its energy figure is high. That is simply how oils work, and it tells you to think of olive oil by the spoonful rather than the cupful.
Why per 100g?
Nutrition values are given per 100g (or 100ml) so that products can be compared on the same basis. The NHS points out that a manufacturer's portion may differ from what you actually eat. Nobody pours 100g of oil over a salad, so treat the table as a comparison tool and judge your own drizzle accordingly.
Fat and saturates
The 91g of fat is the headline figure. The "saturates" line shows how much of that fat is saturated fatty acids, which is why it is listed separately. That leaves around 78g of unsaturated fat, mostly monounsaturated fat (the NHS names olive oil as a source), led by oleic acid.
Exact proportions vary. The International Olive Council's trade standard allows oleic acid to make up anywhere from 55% to 85% of the fatty acids in an olive oil, depending on variety, growing conditions and harvest.
Carbohydrate, sugar and protein: 0g
Extra virgin oil is made by mechanical means only. The International Olive Council allows nothing beyond washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration, so the oil is simply separated from the rest of the fruit. What ends up in the bottle is fat, and the table declares no carbohydrate, sugar or protein.
Polyphenols: 55.5mg
We give this line as a measured figure for this oil and nothing more. 55.5mg is about 0.056g, a very small weight, and the figure will differ from one harvest to another.
What can be said with confidence is about flavour. Polyphenols are a family of plant compounds, and in virgin olive oil the main group, the secoiridoids, are linked to bitterness and pungency. A review in the journal Molecules attributes the peppery sensation mainly to a compound called oleocanthal, and notes that bitterness and pungency are especially abundant in oils from unripe fruit and decline as the olives ripen. The International Olive Council's tasting method describes pungency as a biting sensation typical of oils made at the start of the crop year, mainly from unripe olives. A study of Gemlik olives found total phenols fell as the fruit matured.
That is the reasoning behind picking early. Greener fruit tends to make a greener, more bitter and more peppery oil.
What "extra virgin" means on the label
Extra virgin is the top grade of olive oil. The International Olive Council requires free acidity of no more than 0.8g per 100g, a peroxide value of no more than 20 milliequivalents of active oxygen per kilogram, and a tasting panel verdict of no defects and some fruitiness. In other words, it is a standard about quality and freshness that is checked by both laboratory tests and trained tasters.
Keeping it well
Oxygen, light, moisture and heat all speed up the oxidation that makes oil stale. Research from the UC Davis Olive Center recommends dark storage at 16 to 18°C, and finds that dark glass protects oil better than clear glass. Keep the cap on, keep the bottle out of the sunshine and away from the hob, and use the oil within 3 months of opening, as our product page advises.
Where it works best
- Finish soups, salads, grilled fish and vegetables.
- Drizzle over bruschetta, burrata or hummus.
- Dip with fresh bread.
Early-harvest oils tend to taste greener and more peppery, so use it where you will notice it.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Calorie
- NHS: Different fats in food
- NHS: How to read food labels
- International Olive Council: Trade standard applying to olive oils (COI/T.15/NC No 3)
- International Olive Council: Olive oil categories
- International Olive Council: Sensory analysis of olive oil (COI/T.20/Doc. No 15)
- Bendini et al., Molecules 2007: Phenolic molecules in virgin olive oils
- Çevik et al., Acta Alimentaria 2014: Effect of harvest time on extra virgin olive oil
- UC Davis Olive Center: Packaging influences on olive oil quality
