Details of the competition can be found in the press release attached.

• comunicado-MS2019-esp
• comunicado-MS2019-ENLK 180319 1355
• CHIM comunicado-MS2019-FR JC 1803

Mr. Mustafa SEPETCI, Deputy Executive Director of the IOC, took part in the award ceremony and the panel on olive oil. Mr. Sezai UÇARMAK, Deputy Minister of Trade, also took part in the ceremony and visited the fair.

The winners were chosen by a group of international judges who rated candidates on their complexity, harmony and persistence as well as their olfactory, gustatory and retro nasal sensations.

A certificate and gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for "intense fruitiness", "medium fruitiness", "mild fruitiness" and "ripe fruitiness" categories.

Companies were selected based on the following four categories:

FIRST PRIZE – GOLD MEDAL

Intense Fruitiness                  Nova-Vera Gida ve Tarim San. Tic. Ltd. Şti.

Medium Fruitiness                Poyraz Zeytinyaği Tarim San. ve Tic. A.Ş.

Mild Fruitiness                      Gökduman Tarim Gida Turizm. Tic.Ltd.Şti

Ripe Fruitiness                      Ahmet Çakiroğlu Eka Zeytinyaği Ve Gida

 SECOND PRIZE – SILVER MEDAL

Intense Fruitiness                 Biofarm Organik Tarim Ce Gida Ürünleri San.Tic.Ltd.Şti

Medium Fruitiness                Uysallar Yağ San. A.Ş.

Mild Fruitiness                      Özgün Zeytin Zeytinyaği A.Ş

Ripe Fruitiness                      Dino Uluslararasi Dan. Rek.Tan. Hiz. Turizm San. T.A.Ş. 

THIRD PRIZE – BRONZE MEDAL

Medium Fruitiness                Caymaz Tarim Ürünleri Tic. San. Ltd. Şti.

Mild Fruitiness                      İbrahim Mustafa Cömert

Ripe Fruitiness                      Ayazbey Gida Ltd.Şti.

HONORABLE MENTION

Intense Fruitiness                 Erpa Turizm Kimya San. Tic.Ltd.Şti.

Intense Fruitiness                 Savola Gida San. A.Ş.

The course focused recognising the different defects found in olive oils, such as fusty/muddy sediment, musty-humid-earthy, frostbitten and rancid, in varying intensities. Participants also had the opportunity to taste the oils that had won the Mario Solinas award in its different forms, with entries from Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Greece and France. The tasting technique was explained, as well as the positive attributes that the oils presented, such as oil fruitiness, bitter and pungent. The laboratory for official inspection received samples from various Mediterranean countries and these were analysed for their physico-chemical characteristics, and participants were taught about virgin olive oil production and how negative attributes arise, as well as the requirements of the ISO 17025 standard for sensorial analysis accreditation.

The panel members tasted the samples, noted down the results on a sheet of paper and commented on their findings for each of the samples, including the tastes and smells perceived. The results from the samples and reference materials that were analysed were collected on an Excel spreadsheet, so that they could check their level of training.

The results of this IOC course were very positive, and the gorgeous weather they had throughout the course further boosted the participants enthusiasm to learn and boost their knowledge of organoleptic assessment.

During the meeting, they discussed IOC activities and proposals for quality control in international trade. The Ambassador said that her country depends entirely on olive oil imports and that the quality of the imported product was therefore fundamental.

The Executive Director explained that the IOC was effectively a guardian of olive oil quality but that it only intervened in matteres between member countries or upon request of a non-member country in cases which require the Organisation’s expertise. He also mentioned the advantages that countries receive through IOC membership.

Mr Ghedira suggested that Ms Agrici encourage her government to aid the work of the IOC in its position as observer, so that it may familiarize itself with the practices, either with the Council of Members or the Advisory Committee on olive oil and table olives.

The Ambassador committed to raising awareness within her country’s government to demonstrate the benefits of joining the sector, most of all, she said, given the rising interest for olive-growing, in particular olive oil consumption and the health benefits it brings.

With the accession of Albania, the members belonging to the IOC rise to 16. In the country of eagles, according to the provisional data of the IOC Executive Secretariat, olive oil production in 2017/18 is estimated at around 11 000 t, which would be a decrease of approximately 4% compared to the previous crop year. On the other hand, table olive production is expected at 30 000 t for a 21% year-on-year decrease. Imports of olive oil and table olive in Albania are expected to reach the 1 500 t and 5 000 t respectively. Consumption could reach the 12 500 t for olive oil and the 31 500 t for table olive in the 2017/18 crop year.

on possible contaminants in olive oils and olive-pomace oils

Madrid - The IOC Executive Secretariat would like to invite experts and laboratory leaders working on possible contaminants in olive oils and olive-pomace oils to express their interest in participating in data collection and method validation.  The IOC Working Group on the determination of contaminant residues in olive oils and olive-pomace oils is actively carrying out several studies on the following topics:

• MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons) and MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons)
  • Method of analysis, analytical error (LOQ and LOD)    MOSH-MOAH.AM
  • Data on the presence of these contaminants in oils, for each commercial category                                                                      MOSH-MOAH.DC
  • Investigation about the possible cause of contamination and ways of minimising it                                                                      MOSH-MOAH.DC2
  • 3-MCPD (3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol)
    • Data on the presence of these contaminants in oils, for each commercial category                                                                      3-MCPD.DC
    • HAPs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
      • Method revision for the determination of HAPs                     HAPs.ME
      • Method validation for specific HAPs                            HAPs.ME2

Experts in the sector, especially those with analytical facilities and skilled personnel able to perform the required analyses, are invited to contact the IOC Executive Secretariat. Experts from IOC member and non-member countries are also invited. Please refer to the code reported in the above list when communicating with us about your expression of interest.

Madrid – Here is the most recent newsletter from the IOC with details about what’s been going on in February 2019 and, as usual, updates on prices and on the olive oil and table olive crop year. Enjoy!

Le président du groupe parlementaire, M. Takeo Kawamura, a présenté les activités du groupe qu’il a coordonné pour adapter la législation japonaise aux normes du COI, avant d’ouvrir le débat auquel ont notamment participé Eriko Yamatani, Hiroshi Hiraguchi et Seigo Kitamura, ainsi que le ministre des Technologies de l’information, Takuya Hirai.

Le ministre a souligné dans son intervention l’importance de l’huile d’olive et des produits de l’olivier pour la santé et a fourni des données sur l’expansion de la culture de l’olivier dans la région de Kagawa, en citant des exemples de valorisation de ses sous-produits, notamment l’utilisation des feuilles d’olivier en complément alimentaire pour les poissons et des grignons d’olive pour les bovins, dont les bienfaits sur la santé du produit final ont été prouvés.

Après avoir répondu aux diverses questions du groupe parlementaire, M. Ghedira a réitéré ses remerciements au groupe de parlementaires pour leur forte implication en vue de l’adaptation des standards nippons aux normes du COI, ainsi que sa satisfaction pour le renforcement des relations dans une perspective d’adhésion du Japon à l’Accord international sur l’huile d’olive et les olives de table.

The aim of the course is to teach students the theoretical principles and methodology for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oil and the analysis of the factors and positive and negative attributes that define sensory quality in relation to cultural practices, processing methods and other general physical and chemical quality control parameters.

Further information is included in the notes attached.

The Ambassador informed Mr Ghedira that his country wished to join the IOC as soon as possible and that he wanted to know the conditions for entry. He said that, although Georgia was a small producer, it had an ambitious plan to improve both production and quality. Georgia currently produces a few hundred tonnes per year. He also mentioned that Georgia exports its olive oil to the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Svanideze, a leading partner in Georgian olive-growing, presented his plan to promote olive oil in the country. He works alongside farmers themselves: he encourages them to plant olive trees with the promise of buying all that they produce. He also plans to increase the olive-growing area of the country by more than 1 000 hectares in 2019. Georgia’s olive-growing area currently stands at 2 500 hectares.

The Executive Director explained the role of the IOC in developing and promoting the olive-growing sector and spoke about the advantages of membership for Georgia, in particular the expertise that the IOC can provide, training sessions for tasting panels, study grants, and access to global statistics and all other information relevant to the sector.