What is the best packaging to preserve olive oil
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In order for this product to retain its properties for as long as possible, contact with oxygen and light must be avoided.

Olive oil is one of those products that, due to its high nutritional value, has been qualified as a 'superfood' and it is advisable to include it in your diet on a daily basis. Among its health benefits, it stands out as a source of vitamin E and monounsaturated fatty acids that help reduce the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. But in order for the so-called liquid gold, the mainstay of the Mediterranean Diet, to retain all its properties when it reaches the table, one must not lose sight of the packaging in which it is stored. Having said that, which is the most suitable container, the tin, the glass bottle or the plastic one?

Firstly, it should be noted that olive oil, like other fats, tends to oxidize, as a result of the reaction of fatty acids with oxygen. Light is its other great enemy. Both are the main responsible for its deterioration, which occurs progressively, in a few months, and therefore the loss of quality of the oil. Thus, the packaging is decisive in order to avoid contact with these two elements and to preserve their qualities for as long as possible.

Therefore, the ideal packaging for this product will be one that does not allow light or oxygen to pass through, in other words, one that is completely watertight. According to Wenceslao Moreda, head of the Olive Oil Quality, Purity and Technology Department at the Instituto de la Grasa, which is part of the CSIC, the dark glass container is the one that best meets these requirements and, therefore, the one that best protects the olive oil. Another element to highlight of that container is that it is highly recyclable.

On the other hand, transparent glass does not protect so much from light, so if this container is used it is advisable to keep it in a dark place. This type of transparent glass bottle is used because it works as a commercial claim, since it allows the consumer to see the oil and it is more attractive, but it is not the best for its conservation.

Neither is the plastic bottle, considered the worst for the conservation of extra virgin olive oil. Plastic containers, generally made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate), "are more permeable to oxygen and also to light, although some have ultraviolet filters," points out Moreda. Therefore, they are the least protective. If you buy oil in a plastic container, it's advisable to keep it inside a cardboard box, to prevent it from being exposed to light, and in a cool place.

And the can, is it not as advisable as the dark glass container? According to this expert in olive oil quality and technology, the can would be the best container for preserving the oil, because it blocks more light and oxygen than glass, but the very design of the can has effects on oxidation.

"In the case of cans there is more head space (the space from where the oil ends to the lid) and therefore the contact with oxygen is greater. In the case of glass bottles it is smaller, and therefore the contact with oxygen is also smaller. If it were not for this, the can would be perfect, as it blocks more", explains Moreda. On the other hand, the can is also a container that recycles well.

With all this, the dark glass bottle would be the best container to keep the extra virgin olive oil in the first place. In second place would be the tin, then the transparent glass bottle and finally the olive oil packed in plastic.

It should be added that the container should not be excessively large either. "The oil is like a juice, if I leave it in the container for a long time it will go bad, the longer it is there the more chance it will go bad. If I buy a five-litre carafe, it will take longer to empty it and more oxygen will enter, so there is more chance of oxidation", adds this expert.

Thus, the decision on which container to use is more important when long periods of storage are foreseen. With this, although the transparent glass and plastic containers are the least recommended, it is not so decisive if it is going to be consumed immediately or in a short period of time, as the oil takes a few months to deteriorate.

 

 

Source: El Español

 

 

 

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