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The IOC took part in a workshop in Sfax (Tunisia) on 4 December 2024 organised by the National Oil Office (ONH by its French acronym) to present the results of the study carried out on olive oils from the Tunisian Chemlali variety. The event brought together producers, olive growers, exporters and researchers, who came to understand the conclusions of this study carried out as part of the activities of the IOC’s Standardisation and Research Unit.
Dr Ibtihel Khemakhem, Head of the IOC’s Laboratory and Panel Management Section, represented the IOC at the event, and took part in the opening ceremony alongside Haikel Hechlef, Chief of Staff to Tunisia’s Minister of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Sea Fisheries, Mohamed Hajri, Governor of Sfax, and Hamed Daly, Chairman and CEO of the ONH. The IOC representative stressed the importance of this initiative in promoting the Tunisian Chemlali variety.
Before presenting the context of the study, the methodology adopted and the results of the chemical and sensory characterisation of this variety, the response of Chemlali to the impact of climate change was also analysed.
An international study
The study presented at the workshop was carried out by an Electronic Working Group (EWG) set up in 2022 within the IOC’s Organoleptic Assessment Expert Group. At the official request of Tunisia, this WG has brought together specialists from several countries to analyse the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of the Chemlali variety, with the aim of promoting its recognition worldwide.
