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At home, how should I know whether Olive oil, I purchased, is pure enough?

What is the purity test for Olive oil?

What do you mean by "pure"? Could you please explain... – Stephie

Pure here means that the Olive oil bottle purchased from market contains only the Olive oil extracted from the fresh Olives.

Pure means - not adulterated.

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Aquarius_Girl
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  • a quick google search says that you need to put some oil ni the fridge; it if solidify, then it is olive oil; if it does not solidify, then it's a mix. – Max Jan 15 '15 at 17:55
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    What do you mean by "pure"? Could you please explain... – Stephie Jan 15 '15 at 17:58
  • Pure enough for what? Pasta? Exorcism? [Killing lice?](http://www.muskegonhealth.net/programs/health/documents/lice_oiltreatment.pdf) – Air Jan 15 '15 at 19:06
  • @Max there are plenty of oils that can be blended into olive oil so that the mixture solidifies in the fridge, and it's a poor test anyway... http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/24689/my-olive-oil-didnt-solidify-in-the-fridge-is-it-fake , http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=9582 – Didgeridrew Jan 15 '15 at 20:26
  • @Stephie edited post. Is that clear enough now? – Aquarius_Girl Jan 16 '15 at 15:42

1 Answers1

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Any real test for purity in olive oil is going to require a lab (or at least lab equipment and supplies). The cost of that testing is going to far exceed the price of your bottle of oil.

For home use, then:

  1. Buy from someone reputable. Unfortunately, even reputable folks sometimes get conned by their suppliers. (If you have a local farmer you can buy from directly, that risk can be avoided).
  2. Taste it. Unfortunately, you'll probably only be able to notice bad fakes (even experts are fooled). As a side benefit, though, you'll also get to notice poor-quality (but genuine) olive oil.

A few countries have introduced labeling for olive oil that has been tested by an approved laboratory; if yours is one of them, you could look for certified oils.

derobert
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