THE’extra virgin olive oil it is one of the most precious treasures of the Mediterranean diet, a condiment that makes the difference in the kitchen and gives us a series of health benefits. The ideal would be to produce it ourselves or buy it from a trusted farmer, but when this is not possible, we rely on supermarket products, which have seen prices increase dramatically in recent months.
Finding the best oil, however, can be a real challenge. To help us in the choice, the new test has arrived Altroconsumowhich he analyzed 20 extra virgin olive oils present in supermarkets, evaluating them based on various parameters, including acidity, oxidation, organoleptic qualities and – obviously – taste.
The results? Let’s find out the ranking right away.
The best extra virgin olive oils
The ranking of extra virgin olive oil drawn up by Altroconsumoas usual, in addition to the best of the test, it indicates a series of best purchases, i.e. those products that offer the most advantageous quality-price ratio.
Below is the complete list and, in bold, the 5 considered best or best buys:
How the test was conducted
The test was conducted on 20 samples of extra virgin olive oil purchased between May and June 2024, and analyzed in July of the same year. The prices were recorded in September 2024 in 42 points of sale in four Italian cities (Milan, Rome, Bari, Palermo).
The products included in the comparative test were selected based on their relevance in the Italian market. To evaluate how widespread individual brands are, data collected through a survey carried out in 1200 sales points distributed across 67 Italian cities (data from March 2023) were used. Subsequently, the producers of the selected brands were contacted to identify together the specific reference to be included in the comparative test.
The parameters with which the oils were evaluated included laboratory analyzes (which considered acidity, the number of peroxides and other characteristics), label analysis and, obviously, a organoleptic evaluation by a panel of experts to judge the flavor and smell of the oils.
The laboratory tests contributed 54% to the final judgement, while the panel of tasters accounted for 36%, and the label ultimately influenced the remaining 10%.
