Does Authenticity of Virgin Olive Oil Sensory Quality Require Input from Chemistry?

Abstract

AbstractThe methodology of sensory assessment (“panel test”) of virgin olive oil (VOO) is the sensory method included in international regulations and its application is compulsory in trading. Despite its application has been a success in authenticity of VOO quality, the application of panel test is not exempt of heated debates and controversies among olive oil actors that sometimes surpasses scientific arguments. Problems are consequence of some disagreements in the evaluation of the same VOOs from different testing laboratories, and today, there is a clamor for its enhancement from a considerable part of the industrial sector. The thin line that exists between the absence of sensory defects in extra‐VOOs and a very slight sensory defect that may be perceived in some VOOs by some tasters is in the origin of the controversy. Thus, this work is focuses on providing practical solutions to the current concerns of Panel Test after analyzing proposals evaluating aroma descriptors from chemistry, examining flaws of panel test and strengthening its weak points.Practical Applications: The work describes a strategy that combines volatiles and sensory descriptors for avoiding disagreements with results provided by non‐recognized testing laboratories, and proposes a blueprint for improving the process of training tasters with reference materials.