Securing Olive Oil Quality OLEUM Project

OLEUM Project ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26891816

OLEUM Project ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26891816

Tullia Gallina Toschi, Alessandra Bendini and Enrico Valli from the University of Bologna explain the details of the OLEUM project. It aims to develop innovative analytical techniques and tools, as well as to revise the existing ones, with the goal to better guarantee olive oil quality and authenticity.

Olive oil is one of the most appreciated vegetable oils around the world due to its unique sensory qualities, and high value in terms of healthy and nutritional properties. Exactly for these reasons, like other high value food products, it is a target for fraudulent activities. The European Union produces around 70% of the olive oil in the world and it is reported that the adulteration of olive oil has become one of Europe’s biggest sources of agricultural fraud.

Over the past few years, the European Union has taken considerable measures to counteract olive oil frauds. It is crucial to continually update and improve the analytical and regulatory frameworks to stay always one step ahead of fraudsters. There are many types of olive oil frauds that have been identified in EU over the

years. The most common ones are (i) illegal blending of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) with undeclared lower categories of olive oils, (ii) blending with other vegetable oils, (ii) mislabeling and (iii) false geographical origin.

Innovative analytical techniquesOLEUM is an EU funded project aiming to develop innovative analytical techniques and tools, as well as to revise the existing ones, with the goal to better guarantee olive oil quality and authenticity. Within OLEUM project, researchers are working on the identification of novel analytical markers and methods for (1) detecting illegal blends of olive oils with lower quality products (e.g. soft-deodorized olive oils) and other kind of vegetable oils (2) validating compliance with quality grade and labelled geographical origin, (3) investigating olive oil freshness, as well as (4) its content in phenolic compounds in relation to the EU health claim. OLEUM NetworkOn top of the research activities, the OLEUM project has created an OLEUM Network that brings together stakeholders involved in

the olive oil sector from around the globe. The aim of the network is to increase collaborations, enhance and harmonize the global expertise on olive oil analyses. The OLEUM Network already includes different stakeholders such as public sector, private laboratories, companies and consumers worldwide. The network is active through two different platforms, each with a specific purpose: the broader public can easily learn more about olive oil by joining the OLEUM Network on LinkedIn, while experts interested in trainings, discussions and testing of analytical methods can join the Expert group.

ValidationA few analytical methods that are developed in OLEUM, as well as two sensory reference materials, are undergoing a full validation process with the active involvement of external laboratories

from all around the world, including members of the OLEUM network. In this framework, pre-trials, as peer validated study, started to take place from last September and trial propers are running now. During these trials, it is requested that laboratories analyze the same samples in order to allow a comparison among the obtained results.

The ultimate goal of this process is to validate the reliability of the tested analytical procedures (new Standard Operative Procedures or SOPs specifically setting up, after a preliminary in-house validation performed by each OLEUM developer, to deal with the aims 1-4 previously detailed). OLEUM will shortly reach the final stage of this work, i.e. the formal validation of these new procedures, so that they can be proposed and used with confidence by laboratories and control authorities.

References and Author Information

Tullia Gallina Toschi, Alessandra Bendini and Enrico Valli

Tullia Gallina Toschi is Full Professor at the University of Bologna, coordinator of the research group of instrumental and sensory analysis of food, directs the research interests to the study of methods for verifying the food authenticity, with a special interest in oils and fats, in particular olive oil. Coordinator of the OLEUM and PLOTINA projects (www.oleumproject.eu, www.plotina.eu) is member expert of theolive oil chemists’ of the International Olive Council (IOC), disseminates the research activities and is Deputy Rector for the Wellness at work.

Alessandra Bendini is Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna with specific expertise in Analysis and Chemistry of Food subject, is the co-coordinator of the OLEUM project as well as the leader of the work package focused on the analytical solutions addressed to the authenticity of olive oil.

Enrico Valli is Senior Assistant professor (fixed-term) at the University of Bologna, performing research in the field of instrumental and sensory analysis of foods. Main interests lie in the analytical methods for assessing the quality and authenticity of olive oil. He is currently part of the OLEUM coordination team.

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Email oleum@unibo.it

OLEUM Project ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26891816

Training workshopsIn addition, two hands-on training workshops were carried out, with the aim to demonstrate the application of these innovative/revised methods to lab-technicians and related stakeholders. One workshop took place in Spain (October 2019) and one in Italy (December 2019) while the whole validation process is expected to further improve the methods from a technical point of view, as well as to test the feasibility of the new SOPs. Laboratories that have analytical capabilities and interest in the analysis of olive oil joined these workshops. Participants received free training, improved their analytical skills and, at the same time, gained early access to methods that will potentially be used in future as international standards in the quality

and authenticity of olive oil. OLEUM DatabankLastly, an online database, the OLEUM Databank, is under realization and will be launched soon. This Databank is being implemented to eventually provide the European control bodies with a shared platform holding analytical data together with relevant additional information (metadata) on reference oils analysed as part of the project. The availability of this data will permit a more effective collaboration and proficiency of the authorized quality control laboratories in Europe and a better global harmonization. In addition, it will facilitate the cross-experiment comparison, sharing anchor results, calibration curves or even spectra or chromatograms.

OLEUM impactOLEUM aims to support policy makers to bring harmonization to the olive oil quality assurance and the detection of fraud by providing validated methods and reference materials to European and International control and legislation bodies.  In addition, OLEUM is developing a communication strategy to increase consumer

understanding of olive oil, providing insight into its production, benefits and different quality degrees.

OLEUM final conference Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OLEUM final conference – “Better solutions to protect olive oil quality and authenticity” as an online event in February 2021.During the conference, the OLEUM project will be presented in all its main aspects: the new and revised validated methods for olive oil quality and authenticity control, the OLEUM Databank - an IT tool for conformity controls in the olive oil sector, as well as the sustainability of the OLEUM Network.

Disclaimer:“Advanced solutions for assuring the authenticity and quality of olive oil at a global scale” has received funding from the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 Programme (2014-2020), grant agreement no. 635690. The information expressed in this article reflects the authors’ views: the European Commission is not liable for the information contained therein.