OLEUM Final Conference Recordings

Please find below a list of all speeches from the OLEUM Final Conference.

Enjoy listening and discovering the outcomes of the OLEUM project!
 

OLEUM develops innovative solutions to protect olive oil quality and authenticity

The EU-funded project OLEUM has developed innovative, effective and harmonised analytical solutions to detect and fight against the most common and emerging olive oil frauds and to better guarantee olive oil quality and authenticity. Fraudulent commercial practices amount to an estimated 30 billion per year at global level, distressing the olive oil sector, lowering consumer trust and affecting olive oils reputation.
Over the past four years, OLEUM research has been focused on four areas typically targeted by fraudulent activities, developing innovative solutions and improve existing techniques that can be used to:

• control olive oil quality to be consistent with the declared grade, the polyphenols health claim and the declared shelf-life
• detect illegal processing on olive oils (soft-deodorization) 
• discover illegal blends between olive oils and other vegetable oils
• verify the labelled geographical origin of olive oils

The most promising OLEUM solutions, including the determination of phenolic compounds (health claim), free and esterified sterols, fatty acid ethyl esters (revised method), volatile compounds and the use of sensory reference materials, obtained validation in conformity with internationally agreed standards by peer laboratories, paving the way to future policy developments at EU level.
 

A network for global knowledge transfer
OLEUM has created a dedicated Network to gather and enlarge the international body of expertise in the analysis and authentication of olive oils. The insights obtained throughout the project were shared with the laboratories worldwide in a series of training courses and workshops. The members of the OLEUM Network had a unique opportunity to participate in the validation process of innovative analytical methods developed in OLEUM. The Network is growing continuously, representing an ideal place for stakeholders to engage in an open dialogue about methods that counteract fraud and protect the quality of olive oil.

OLEUM Databank – a unique gateway for olive oil analysis
To further encourage knowledge sharing, OLEUM created a digital, scalable, and regularly updated OLEUM Databank – a repository of data from OLEUM research. The goal of the Databank is to facilitate harmonisation of analytical approaches by providing documents and validated data that the laboratories can count on to assess the quality and authenticity of olive oils samples. Data, reports and analytical procedures will be available to help achieve global synchronisation in olive oil analyses to check the conformity of olive oils.

Prof. Tullia Galina Toschi, from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum,- Università di Bologna, Italy, Coordinator of OLEUM, said: “Everything moves from a single marker of quality and authenticity to an overall vision of an oil that could be defined as ‘biometric’. Yet, we cannot forget to proceed with an incremental, simple and robust approach, gradually distilling elements of complexity to make a new effective synthesis, avoiding any sensationalism, which introduces uncertainty and approximation. This is the difficult challenge that OLEUM has won.“

OLEUM Final Conference - 17 & 18 February 2021
The OLEUM project is coming to an end and its achievements will be discussed during a two-day virtual conference. Participants will get a chance to learn about the impact of OLEUM on the future EU policies in the olive oil sector and discuss validation and analytical tools for assuring olive oil quality and authenticity.
 

More information, the conference agenda and free registration can be found on the OLEUM website.

Background
OLEUM is an EU, Horizon2020-funded project (Grant agreement ID: 635690) which aims to research advanced solutions for assuring the overall authenticity and quality of olive oil. This overall goal is supported by three strategic objectives:

• To develop new and/or improved analytical methods for assuring the quality and authenticity of olive oil.
• To develop the OLEUM databank - an online integrated quality assurance database of olive oil analytical methods and data related to chemical and organoleptic characteristics.
• To develop and support a worldwide community of proficient analytical laboratories involved in the analysis of olive oil, therefore establishing a wide OLEUM Network.

By the end of the project, OLEUM researchers will address the knowledge gap in areas of legislation and regulation, analysis, harmonisation and coordination. This, in turn, will increase consumer understanding and market confidence. 

Website: www.oleumproject.eu
Twitter: @Oleum_EU
 

OLEUM Final Conference

On the 17th and 18th of February 2021, the OLEUM project successfully held its final conference. In total, over 400 people from different fields registered for the online meeting to discover the results of the project and discuss the future possibilities to assure olive oil quality and authenticity.

The event was separated into two days with day one targeted on the outcomes and impacts of OLEUM on the future of Europe’s policies on olive oil and the second day focused on the newly developed analytical tools and methods to further ensure olive oil quality and authenticity.

Prof Giovanni Molari, Head of Agricultural and Food Sciences department at the University of Bologna, welcomed the attendees before project coordinator Prof Dr Tullia Gallina Toschi gave an outline on the most important outcomes of the OLEUM project and stated that the opportunities that arise out of them are of great interest and extremely valuable for the market. The results that the OLEUM project delivers are also taken into account developing future EU olive oil policies.
 

"We need to have a formative role on what is olive oil and what is EVOO." – Prof Dr Tullia Gallina Toschi

The international and continuously growing OLEUM Network gathers and enlarges the high-quality expertise in the analysis and authentication of olive oils. Thus, leading to new and innovative tools and methods to counteract fraudulent activities and protect the quality of olive oil. The findings out of these methods can be stored in the OLEUM Databank which is one of the key outcomes of the project and helps to improve information exchange between different stakeholders of the olive oil community. Due to the many incorrect information around olive oil from various sources, it is an important part of the project to give reliable and science-based information to the public, which is why the communication part of the OLEUM project is of great importance.

The respective methods were introduced and explained by their developers on the second day of the OLEUM final conference. Attendees got an insight into the technical backgrounds and had the possibility to clarify questions from the developers in a Q&A session.
 

The feedback at the end of the conference as well as in the chat and via social media was great and the OLEUM-Team would like to thank all the attendees and speakers to make this possible!
 

For more information on the main outcomes of the project, the recordings of the final conference and other resources, please see the Virtual Package that we prepared for you: Click here

You can find the recording of the final conference here! 

OLEUM online workshop - New analytical methods for the quality and authenticity of olive oils

On November 16th and 17th, the OLEUM researchers held an online workshop, due to the ongoing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Italian workshop with the title: “New analytical methods for the prevention and control of the quality and authenticity of olive oils: proposed by the European project OLEUM“ was organized in collaboration with Assitol and Federolio, two Italian associations of olive oil producers.

OLEUM researcher Enrico Valli from the University of Bologna points out that, “such preparation has been - and currently is - a big effort for all the UNIBO research group especially in this difficult time due to the covid emergency.” That is why it was all the greater pleasure to host, together with the Italian native OLEUM researchers responsible for the analytical tools developed in the project, institutional staffs of national official quality control bodies and other stakeholders of the olive oil sector.

With around 200 attendees during this two-day workshop, it was a very successful event with lots of learnings for new analytical methods to protect the quality and authenticity of olive oil.

The presentations from the workshop were as follows:

Monday, 16.11.2020:

Welcome and brief introduction of the OLEUM project
by professor Tullia Gallina Toschi (University of Bologna, OLEUM Project Coordinator)

A targeted method to validate the quantitative determination of volatile compounds in virgin olive oils by SPME-GC-FID/SPME-GC-MS 
(Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi, Dr Enrico Valli - University of Bologna)

Determination of the product category of virgin olive oils by untargeted SPME-GC-MS profile analysis in volatile compounds
(Professor Stefania Vichi - University of Barcelona)

Rapid screening method for the determination of the product category of virgin olive oils by semi-targeted HS-GC-IMS profile analysis in volatile compounds
(Dr Filippo Panni, Dr Enrico Casadei - University of Bologna)

Use of two reference materials to support the sensory analysis of virgin olive oils
(Professor Alessandra Bendini - University of Bologna)

Questions and answers related to the methods presented and open discussion on operational aspects
(moderated by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi)

Conclusions and round table
Future scenarios after validation of the quantitative data referring to specific volatile compounds. The path to establishing limits and intervals and how to support the Panel test.
with:
Prof. Lanfranco Conte - President of the Italian Society for the Study of Fatty Substances
Dr Angelo Faberi - MIPAAF ICQRF
Dr Salvatore Giuliano - Head of the Palermo Chemical Laboratory - Monopoli Customs Agency
moderated by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi



Tuesday, 17.11.2020:

Welcome and introduction to the day
by professor Tullia Gallina Toschi (University of Bologna, OLEUM Project Coordinator)

COI guidelines for the conservation of olive oils: information for producers and distributors and information for consumers
(Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi - University of Bologna)

Prediction and shelf-life evaluation software for virgin olive oils
(Prof. Maurizio Servili - University of Perugia)

Additional measures of predictive markers for the shelf-life of virgin olive oils: the opportunities offered by the microESR system
(Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi - University of Bologna)

Method for the SPE/GC-FID determination of free and esterified sterols applied to vegetable oils
(Prof. Paolo Lucci - University of Udine)

Questions and answers related to the methods presented and open discussion on operational aspects
(moderated by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi)

Conclusions and round table
Responsibility for the correct preservation of olive oils and methods of shelf-life prediction: quality and authenticity checks and screening, future prospects.
with:
Dr Stefania Carpino - Director of the ICQRF Laboratory of Perugia - MIPAAF
Marisa Cataldo - Filiera 21, Network of lawyers for the Agrifood Industry
moderated by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi

OLEUM session held at the 2020 IFFATID

On November 1st and 2nd, the International Forum on Food Authenticity Technology and Industrial Development (2020 IFFATID) took place in Beijing. The OLEUM project coordinator Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi gave a speech with the theme: 'The OLEUM actual scenario: from the fraud to the countermeasures’. Professor Toschi outlined the progress OLEUM has made in creating and validating innovative analytical methods and reference materials to better guarantee the quality and authenticity of olive oil. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her presentation was not held in person but recorded in advance.

The conference was organized by professor Dr Zhong Qiding and Dr Daobing Wang from the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries and focused on promoting supervision and certification of food authenticity and food quality, as well as presenting views on Food Integrity/Food Fraud/Food Regulations and Standards. The event was held both online and offline. About 5000 participants registered for the event, most of them attending online. Participants had the opportunity to submit questions, which were forwarded to Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi.

Method Video: UHPLC determination of total hydroxytyrosol (Htyr) and tyrosol (Tyr) content in olive

IIn this video, Dr Nikolaos Nenadis goes through a new method developed by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki within the OLEUM project to determine total hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol content in olive oil to support the health claim for 'olive oil polyphenols' according to EC regulation 432/2012.

Download the slides here

Reference

Tsimidou, M.Z., Sotiroglou, M., Mastralexi, A., Nenadis, N., García-González, D.L. and Gallina Toschi, T., 2019. In house validated UHPLC protocol for the determination of the total hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol content in virgin olive oil fit for the purpose of the health claim introduced by the EC Regulation 432/2012 for “Olive Oil Polyphenols”. Molecules, 24(6), p.1044.

OLEUM project animated video

Want to learn more about the OLEUM project? Then check out our new animated video which provides an overview of the main aspects of the project. To add subtitles, click on settings and select from English, Spanish, German, Greek, Italian and French.

2nd OLEUM workshop - Hands on New Analytical Method for Quality & Authenticity of Olive Oil

Following on the success of the First OLEUM workshop, the Second OLEUM workshop took place in Bologna on the 11th of December 2019. Organised by the research team from Queen’s University Belfast in conjunction with the local project coordinator, University of Bologna, participation exceeded expectations. The event was attended by no less than 72 participants from Spain, Italy, Germany, UK, France, Turkey and Croatia, representing organisation such us: olive oil producers and distributors, private and public laboratories, research institutions and Universities.

During the workshop four (4) new analytical methods were presented:

1. SPE/ GS- FID method to detect both free and esterified sterols (Paolo Lucci - University of Udine)
2. Analysis of volatile compounds in virgin olive oil by Gas Chromatography (Diego Garcia – Gonzalez – CSIC)
3. Analysis of VOO volatile fingerprint by SPME-GC-MS and chemometrics (Stefania Vichi from University of Barcelona)
4. Sensory Analysis of virgin olive oils with the use of two Reference Standards (Alessandra Bendini – University of Bologna)

Key parts of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the methods were discussed and critiqued, with the developer teams receiving constructive feedback. All the training material will become accessible to OLEUM Network members via the Basecamp website.

The OLEUM project is now looking forward to the main dissemination event later this year. Thanks to all who participated in both workshop events!

1st OLEUM workshop - Hands on New Analytical Method for Quality & Authenticity of Olive Oil

On Thursday the 24th of October, the 1st OLEUM Workshop took place in the Instituto de la Grasa, in Seville – Spain. The theme of the 1st OLEUM workshop was ‘Hands on New Analytical Method for Quality & Authenticity of Olive Oil’ and two analytical methods were discussed with the audience, Method 1 ‘UHPLC determination of total hydroxytyrosol (Htyr) and tyrosol (Tyr) content in virgin olive oil’ and Method 3 ‘Revised and validated analytical approaches for fatty acids ethyl esters (FAAEs) determination’. The session was organised by Professor Paul Brereton and Dr Tassos Koidis from the Institute of Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Private and public labs, research institutions representatives and olive oil producers participating in the session. The event was well attended with more than 40 participants in the audience, with great interaction and interest for the OLEUM project and the developed methods.

The workshop had presentations from the organisers and method developers, new methods were discussed in order to improve the SOPs, all technical comments and suggestion were collected and will be used to improve analytical method moving from the ‘pre-trial’ to the ‘proper trial’ for the validation.

Who is the OLEUM Network?

As part of the OLEUM project, a dedicated OLEUM Network has been created with the aim to enlarge the international body of expertise in the analysis of olive oils, by congregating a wide user community of laboratories and related stakeholders’ active in the analysis and authentication of olive oil. The Network also aims to transfer analytical knowledge obtained in the project to the network in a series of training courses and workshops. This means that the members of the OLEUM Network will have the possibilities to be involved in the validation process of innovative analytical methods developed in the project, as well as to participate in two OLEUM “hands-on” training workshops focused on the same innovative solutions.

In addition, the OLEUM Network will engage with other stakeholders explaining how the methods developed in the project can counter fraud and improve the quality of olive oil.

The OLEUM Network will offer participants the following:

1. participate in the validation process of the OLEUM methods including training workshops
2. an information portal for olive oil analysis
3. a place where various stakeholders in the olive oil sector can share/upload their methods and discuss these methods (give feedback, share experiences)
4. give you an overview of all laboratories/people involved in olive oil analysis
5. inform you about upcoming events related to this field

The OLEUM network is set up in Basecamp, a trusted and secure platform used worldwide for project management and communication. If you are interested, we need you! To join the OLEUM Network you will need to set up an account in Basecamp first – JOIN NOW. Further instructions can be found here and will guide you through the registration process, explain the basics of the Basecamp OLEUM Network and some ground rules for good housekeeping. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about the OLEUM Network, please feel free to contact us (oleum@unibo.it).

There is also an OLEUM Network LinkedIn group which features the ‘Question of the Month’ with new and exciting topics updated regularly. The page is also used to communicate project activities, disseminate public project results and answer basic questions about olive oil to the general public. Please join if you haven’t done it already.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - INFOGRAPHIC

Special OLEUM Session held at 2019 AOCS annual meeting

On Monday the 6th of May, a special OLEUM session took place at the 2019 American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The theme of the session was ‘The OLEUM project advancements for a global strategy to guarantee olive oil quality and fight fraud’.The session was organised by the OLEUM project coordinator Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi from Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Italy and Dr Luisito Cercaci, from Pompeian Inc., USA.

The session had presentations from several OLEUM researchers and outlined the advancements OLEUM has made in creating and validating innovative analytical methods and reference materials to better guarantee the quality and authenticity of olive oil. In addition, Dr Juan Polari, from the UC Davis Olive Center, USA, gave a presentation on the experience of olive oil production and quality in the United States.

After the presentations, there was an active Q&A panel discussion about the OLEUM project and the current situation of the olive oil sector in the USA. The event was well attended with more than 100 participants in the audience, with great interaction and interest for the OLEUM project.

The presentations from the session were as follows:

Olive Oil: from Different Processing to Different Regulatory Frameworks. How to Ensure its Quality and Authenticity at a Global Level? Challenges, Gaps and Improvements Proposed by the OLEUM Project.

Tullia Gallina Toschi, Alma Mater Studiorum–Università di Bologna, Italy.

Volatile Compounds as Useful Markers for the Quality Assessment of Virgin Olive Oils.

Diego Luis García González, Instituto de la Grasa, Spain.

Use of NMR Technique in the OLEUM Project.

Torben Kuechler, Eurofins, Germany.

The OLEUM Databank: A Reference Repository for Olive Oil Quality and Authenticity.

Alain Maquet, JRC - Joint Research Centre, Belgium

The US Experience on Olive Oil Production and Quality.

Juan Polari, UC Davis Olive Center, USA.

For more information on the AOCS annual meeting please visit: https://annualmeeting.aocs.org/

HOW ARE OLIVE OILS PRODUCED? – INFOGRAPHIC

Special OLEUM Session held at 2018 AOCS annual meeting

From May 6th to 9th 2018, the Special Oleum Session took place at the 2018 AOCS annual meeting in Minneapolis, USA. The theme of the session was 'Olive Oil: Innovative Analytical Strategies to Guarantee Quality and Fight Fraud; Focus on the Advancements of the EU H2020 Project OLEUM’. It was organised by Tullia Gallina Toschi from Università di Bologna and Luisito Cercaci from Pompeian Inc., USA. For more information please visit: http://annualmeeting.aocs.org/program/special-ses­sions-x2534

The performed OLEUM research activities and the actual project state-of play were presented in this hot-topic session, together with the expected results and impact that OLEUM will have on the quality and authenticity of olive oil at a global scale, with a particular focus on the actual situation of the olive oil sector in the USA.The session was followed by many participants and gained much interest; the intervention of Selina Wang, research director of the UC Davis Olive Center and member of the OLEUM Advisory Board was very stimulating to promote an open and wide collaboration in the olive oil sector.

Talks held at the OLEUM Session during the 2018 AOCS Annual Meeting:

Alessandra Bendini - Olive Oil Regulatory Framework Analysis, Update and Implementation

Tullia Gallina Toschi - The OLEUM Project: Analytical Solutions Addressing Olive Oil Quality and Authenticity Issues

Tassos Koidis - Networking and Technology Transfer of the OLEUM Project

Selina C Wang - How to Communicate and Implement the Results of the OLEUM Project in the US

Diego Luis García González- Analytical Solutions Addressing Olive Oil Quality Issues

Alain Maquet- The Development of an OLEUM Databank 

Meet OLEUM at Food Fraud 2018

On 1 March 2018, researchesrs from OLEUM will attend New Food's annual conference on the topic of food fraud:

Food Fraud: A global insight

Food fraud is causing the food and beverage industry to lose up to £12bn annually, it’s therefore paramount that the industry connects, collaborates and eradicates fraud across the supply chain. Food Fraud 2018 reunites Food Manufacturers, Supermarkets, Processors, Suppliers, Technology Companies, and Academia from around the globe for an unmissable day of sharing best practices, lessons learned and detection & prevention methods.

Food Fraud 2018 takes place on the 1st March at the Radisson Blue Portman Hotel, London.

For more information visit, www.newfoodfraud.com

OLEUM at the 31st EFFOST International Conference

On November 14th 2017, OLEUM was presented in a special session at the 31st EFFOST International Conference in Sitges, Spain.

The objectives of the project and the first obtained results, along with an overview of the current developments on the new and improved analytical methods for ensuring the authenticity of olive oils, were presented by Tullia Gallina Toschi.

A critical review on analytical methods drawbacks, normative failure and inappropriateness with a focus on the EU regulation has been discussed by Alessandra Bendini.

Advancements on the new analytical strategies for the quality control of virgin olive oil based on the chemical characterization of aroma and the formulation of sensory reference materials have been explained by Diego Luis García González.

The results related to a promising analytical technique under development to verify the geographical origin of extra virgin olive oils by means of sesquiterpene analysis and chemometrics were discussed by Stefania Vichi.

Next steps and the state of the art towards the creation of the OLEUM Databank, which will be an online integrated quality assurance database of analytical methods, data and calibration materials related to the olive oils sensory and chemical characteristics, were also presented by Andreas Klingberg.

OLEUM presented at the 2017 European Researchers’ Night

On September 29th 2017, OLEUM was presented at the 2017 European Researchers' Night in Bologna. The event was a big success thanks to the attendance of a widely interested audience.

OLEUM was presented by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi, Dr. Federica Tesini and Dr. Sara Barbieri (University of Bologna) in an interactive laboratory focused on how to recognise good quality olive oils, with special attention on the valuable healthy and sensory properties of virgin olive oils.

“Researchers and the Rector of the University of Bologna, Prof. Francesco Ubertini, at the OLEUM interactive laboratory.”

Towards a harmonised OLEUM Databank

OLEUM researchers Jean-François Morin and Alain Maquet summarise their work so far in an interview about the OLEUM Databank, an online integrated quality assurance database of olive oil analytical methods and data related to chemical and organoleptic characteristics.
 

Jean-François Morin (pictured left) is in charge of Collaborative Research and Early Innovation at the Food Laboratory of the Eurofins Group in Nantes (France). Today his work involves the development of new analytical methods for the detection of food fraud. In the OLEUM project, he is involved in the development of the Databank (WP5). He has led the survey on existing databases on olives and olive oils.

Alain Maquet (pictured right) has led the food forensics activities at JRC-IRMM since ten years. He has expertise in agronomy, genetic resource management, molecular fingerprinting and food authenticity. He was coordinating the JRC's activities in the TRACE project (FP6) and he is the operational manager of the European Reference Centre for Control in the Wine Sector including the European Wine databank.

Can you briefly summarise the results of the work undertaken so far?

A.M. We conducted a survey on existing databases on olive germplasm (living tissue from which new plants can be grown) and compositional data on olive oils to evaluate which information is potentially available, where such information is stored and what could be the relevance for the OLEUM project. In addition, where available, technical information on the databases was also analysed as the potential for exchange/transfer of data will be evaluated with the curators.

JF.M. A total of 16 databases related to Olea europaea have been identified, of which 10 are web-based and currently accessible. They are mainly curated in Europe but also in other part of the world.

In order to identify an unknown monovarietal virgin olive oil cultivar, several reference databases have been established providing morphologic, DNA molecular markers and/or chemical data of worldwide olive trees and oils. Our key finding is that there is no database centralising the passport data of all the olive accessions distributed in the existing olive germplasm banks.

What kind of information is found in the databases you have identified?

JF.M. A significant percentage of the olive germplasm is conserved in the European germplasm banks; the two most important ones being the Worldwide Olive Germplasm bank of Cordoba and the CRA-OLI collection, for which elaiographic cards are also available. These cards include morphological and agronomical data as well as a variety of molecular and chemical descriptors. Several databases are containing information on genetic markers, mainly SSR markers. Other databases store data on chemical composition of olive oils from conventional chemical analyses; e.g. fatty acids, triglycerides, organoleptic oil values. Only one database (i.e. Italian National Database of PDO/PGI Extra Virgin Olive Oils) maintains data from isotopic measurements as well as from a metabolomics approach.

What problems does having so many disconnected databases cause to the olive oil analysis community?

A.M. Based on estimates by the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division Olive Germplasm[1], the world’s olive germplasm contains more than 2,600 different varieties, with many local varieties and ecotypes contributing to this richness.

Having so many disconnected databases cause problems for germplasm classification (including olive). It is not only complicated by the richness of its genetic patrimony, but also by the absence of reference standards and by the confusion regarding the cultivar names, with numerous cases of homonymy (one name for several genotypes) and synonymy (one genotype with several names).

JF.M. At the same time, the technologies and methods used in research are becoming more advanced and increasing in number. This increases the complexity and quantity of the data produced, which tend to take a variety of formats. In addition, lack of a central catalogue for research data, inability to host sensitive data on public servers, and privacy and security concerns make it hard to locate existing data leading to redundancy in research and ambiguity in resources used.

What is the OLEUM Databank and why is there a need for it?

A.M. The objectives of the OLEUM project is to establish an open access databank to store not only the information generated by the OLEUM consortium but also to be interoperable with existing databases related to the characterisation of the olive tree germplasm and olive oils.

A key challenge for this OLEUM database will be to develop a strategy to ensure the maintenance of the OLEUM Databank in the long term as well as its availability using a user-friendly interface for use by authorised bodies through the European Union.

What benefits can be gained by sharing data related to characterisation of olive oils?

JF.M. By sharing or even integrating olive databases in the sense of the data FAIR principles recommended by the Horizon 2020 framework, it is expected to provide proper references to data and have detailed metadata on content, provenance and sample relations. Having data and information on how the data were produced and analysed enables replication studies and reproducibility. This will allow data to be reused and will promote collaboration, thus increasing the data’s scientific impact.

What are the next steps you will take towards a more centralised source of data on olive oil characterisation?

A.M. We have already started to contact the curators of the reported databases to evaluate their structure (types of recorded data), to inventory the relevance of the available information in more detail and the technical possibilities/difficulties for sharing the information. We will also try to identify additional data sources. In parallel, the needs for future development of the OLEUM Databank on olive oils will be collected based on the planned activities from other work packages.

[1] Muzzalupo, I., Olive Germplasm – The Olive Cultivation, Table Olive and Olive Oil Industry in Italy. InTech: Rijeka, Croatia, 2012; p 383

A closer look at the OLEUM logo

The OLEUM project logo has been developed based on main themes of the project. The bottle in the centre of the image symbolises the high-quality olive oil which is at centre of the project. The shield represents protection and guardianship of the quality and authenticity of the olive oil, which reflects the main objective of the OLEUM project: developing advanced solutions for assuring authenticity and quality of olive oil. The symmetrical shape of logo was chosen to evoke the feelings of stability and trust. The blue colour of the shield was chosen to represent the colour of the traditional tasting glass used during sensory analysis of olive oil.

First annual project meeting held in Thessaloniki, Greece

On 4 - 6 October 2017, OLEUM partners met in Greece for a project meeting to mark the end of the first year of the project and discuss progress and future plans. The meeting was hosted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

All work packages presented updates of their activities. The partners also discussed specific issues related to sampling and analytical activities, validation of the analytical methods and reference standards, and progress towards the establishment of the OLEUM Network.

During the meeting the consortium also welcomed members of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Board (MS-AB) for the first time. The MS-AB will meet annually to act as discussion platform to consult in different aspects of the project.

The meeting concluded with a visit to the olive groves of Chalkidiki variety and the Ladas factory for table olives and the Kalandaridis olive mill, where the production process of extra virgin olive oil was demonstrated.

3rd IMEKOFOODS Conference

The OLEUM project will be presented by Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi at the 3rd IMEKFOODS International Conference: Metrology Promoting Harmonization& Standardization in Food & Nutrition. The conference will be held in Thessaloniki (Greece), 1st-4th October 2017.

For more information and the full programme, please click here.

Your opportunity to contribute to the OLEUM research activities!

The OLEUM project has developed a questionnaire with the aim of identifying information about current weaknesses in the olive oil regulations and analytical methods and to gather information about emerging frauds. In order to reach these goals, we need to collect information and opinions from many stakeholders involved in the olive oil sector.

If you are interested and involved in the olive oil sector, please find the questionnaire here.

The questionnaire will take only about 5 minutes of your time and your participation would be very valuable for the project.
 
You are not required to reply to all the questions, but only to those that are directly related to your job. The results will be made available and presented in a completely anonymous way.
 
The questionnaire is also available in Spanish, Greek, Italian and French. For any information about the questionnaire, please write to Dr. Paolo Lucci (paolo.lucci@uniud.it).

15th Euro Fed Lipid Congress

OLEUM project partners presented at the 15th Euro Fed Lipid Congress held in Uppsala, Sweden from 27-30 August 2017.

Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi presented the progress of the OLEUM project after one year.

Professor Lanfranco Conte from University of Udine gave a presentation on the topic: Comparison between different norms & standards dealing with Olive Oils Purity and Quality Assessment.

Professor Maria Tsimidou from AUTH University presented on the topic: Toward a Harmonized and Standardized Protocol for the Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Virgin Olive Oil.

Other presentations by the project partners included:

Shelf Life of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with different Phenolic and Oleic Acid Content Stored in the Dark
S. Esposto, G. Veneziani, A. Taticchi, S. Urbani,  B. Sordini, R. Selvaggini, D. García González, T. Gallina Toschi, M. Servili.

Advances for a Comprehensive Evaluation of Quality of Virgin Olive Oil: In the Search of Reference Materials
D.L. García González, T. Gallina Toschi, I. Romero, N. Tena, E. Valli, O. Winkelmann, P. Brereton, F. Lacoste, A. Maquet, S. Vichi, L. Conte, A. Bendini.

Flash Gas Chromatography Electronic Nose as a Potential Tool for Rapid Sensory Screening of Virgin Olive Oils
S. Barbieri, E. Valli, A. Bendini, O. Winkelmann, F. Lacoste, M. Bučar-Miklavčič, K. Brkić  Bubola, U. Tibet, D. García González, T. Gallina Toschi.

Tailored Sample Preparation for Olive Oil Analysis by 1H-NMR: Applications in Sensory Evaluation and Origin Classification
O. Winkelmann, T. Küchler, A. Bendini, D. Garcia Gonzalez, T. Gallina Toschi.

Decoding the “Fusty, Muddy Sediment” and “Musty” off-Flavour of Olive Oils using the Sensomics Approach in Combination with Statistical Analysis
A Neugebauer, M. Granvogl, P. Schieberle.

Charged Aerosol Detection for LC Analysis of Triglycerides: A Novel Tool for Extra-virgin Olive Oil Characterization
L. Conte, P. Lucci, S. Moret, F. Buchino, E. Moret, C. Conchione, W. Moreda, T. Gallina Toschi.

Improving of HS-SPME-GC-MS Quantitation of Volatile Compounds in Virgin Olive Oils by Multiple Internal Standard Normalization
L. Cecchi, , M. Migliorini, M. Fortini, C. Cherubini,  L. Calamai.

For more information and the full programme, please click here.

OLEUM project features in ‘Olive Oil Times’

The aims and objectives of the OLEUM project have recently feautured in Olive Oil Times, a website dedicated to providing the most up to date news on olive oil.

Click here to read the article. 

GoFood 2017

Prof Tullia Gallina Toschi made a presentation entitled “Towards the development of innovative analytical strategies to combat olive oil fraud: the EU H2020 OLEUM project” at the GoFood 2017 Conference that was held from 31 May to 2 June in Lund, Sweden.


 

During the conference, a new research centre was also presented. DISH – Global Centre for Food Safety, is a collaboration between the University of Bologna, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Lund and the Danish Technical University.
 

For more information and the full programme visit the conference website.

Food Integrity 2017: state-of-play and project advancements presented in Parma

The latest advancements and deliverables that have been achieved during the first nine months of the project were presented by the project coordinator Prof Tullia Gallina Toschi at the Food Integrity 2017 conference, on 11 May in Parma, Italy.

The presentation addressed the following points:

• An update on ongoing work on identifying gaps in the normative framework, analytical method drawbacks and emerging frauds (WP2)
• A description of the whole sampling procedure, experimental design and objective focused on the development of innovative and revised analytical solutions addressing olive oil quality (WP3), and authenticity (WP4) issues, including the development of a Quantitative Panel Test.
• Advancements towards development of the OLEUM databank. A survey on existing databases on olive germplasm and compositional data on olive oil has been conducted and a knowledge database is under construction (WP5)
• Progress towards designing and establishing the OLEUM Network (WP6)
• Activities related to dissemination and communication of project outcomes including development of a graphic identity and website, establishment of the Multistakeholder Advisory Board and finalisation of the initial data management plan.

The Food Integrity project is coordinated by one of the OLEUM partners, Paul Brereton, Head of Agri-Food Research at Fera Science Ltd. More information can be found on the project website.

Innovation & TSG-PDO-PGI Scientific Meeting

The Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology of AUTH with the support of the Association of Greek Chemists and the Federation of Chemists of Northern Greece organized a scientific meeting "Innovation & TSG-PDO-PGI"   in the context of the events of 2017 DETROP (International Expo Food and Drinks, Thessaloniki, Greece).

The event was attended by approximately 120 people (members of the public administration, production and research bodies, as well as undergraduate/postgraduate students from higher education institutions).

The aim of the meeting was to highlight the possibilities for innovative proposals related to Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) products and products protected by a Geographical Indication (GI). The research achievements of the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology of the School of Chemistry on innovations related to the particular type of products were presented with an introduction by the head of the laboratory Professor M. Tsimidou.

Assistant Prof. N. Nenadis presented the objectives and planned activities of the OLEUM project and stressed the complexity of the detailed issues that must be addressed for the authenticity, geographical origin, freshness and health claims and that research results will be communicated to all stakeholders involved in the olive oil sector and consumers An open call to all interested parties to networking with OLEUM consortium was also addressed.

Other topics that were presented included:

• a new, competitive high quality table olive
• research on improving the nutritional value of Spanish style green olives Chalkidiki by reducing the sold content of the end product
• innovative approaches for the better exploitation of fats from oil-containing plant materials for the preparation of traditional and non-traditional products.

The conference ended with a round table which included representatives of the state, academia and producers in order to highlight the need for continuous development of "traditional" products by applying mild, innovative approaches that are consistent with current nutritional and technological trends. Through the discussion, the concept and the content of the term "innovation" was discussed. It was concluded that even small changes in the traditional production process of TSG- PDO-PGI products can greatly improve their quality and nutritional value. The need to exploit the remarkable research results produced by the research institutes of the country to this direction was highlighted. The outcome of the debate was the strong will of all stakeholders to collaborate closely in order to satisfy the above need.

7th Festival of table olive and olive oil

The largest exhibition in Greece for Olive Oil and Olive Oil was held for the seventh time from 31 March to 2 April 2017, organized and supported by the industry and the Greek scientific community. It is considered as the most important event regarding Olive sector in Greece. The exhibition was attended by ambassadors and businessmen from all over the world, supermarket chain suppliers, hotel and shipping sector personnel, as well companies active in the field of food service.

In parallel with the festival a scientific conference on Olive & Olive Oil was held, as well as the 5th Contest "Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil". The latter is an important innovation of the Organizers with many participants, who have demonstrated in previous competitions that the high quality of Greek olive oils.

Participants had the opportunity to taste different varieties of olive oil and olives and to explore rare olive oils with chocolate, lemon, saffron, orange and truffle. Forty chefs prepared recipes based on the olive oil from all over Greece and the visitors were able to buy olive oil and table olives from over 100 small producers from Crete, Kalamata, Mytilene, Chalkidiki, Fthiotida, Achaia, Ilia and other Greek regions.

OLEUM partner, AUTH (Aristoteleio Panepistimio Thessalonikis)  participated in the scientific conference with an oral presentation by Assoc. Prof. G. Blekas. The presentation outlined OLEUM aims and activities, stressing their importance for Greek olive oil.

New Food webinar on extra virgin olive oil characterisation featuring OLEUM researchers

On 9 May 2017, OLEUM researcher Professor Lanfranco Conte and Dr Paolo Lucci, of the University of Udine featured as keynote speakers in a webinar entitled Charged aerosol detection for LC analysis of triglycerides: A novel tool for extra-virgin olive oil characterisation.

For more information and to watch a recording of the webinar, click here.

Lanfranco Conte has been Professor of Food Chemistry at University of Udine since 1992. Previous work includes:

• 10 years at Food Fraud Detection of Ministry of Agriculture of Italy. 1982 – 1992.
• Laboratory technician at University of Bologna (lipochemistry group).1973 – 1982
• Chairperson of Olive Oil Chemist Expert group at UE, DG AGRI. 1993 – 2011. These days he is Italian delegate within the group.
• Member of the Olive oil chemistry group of International Olive Council and of the Italian Technical Committee for Fats and Oils and of the Group edible fats and oils of UNI (Italian corresponding body of ISO).

L.Conte is author or co-author of ~ 200 papers on scientific journals, dealing with development and validation of methods suitable to assess purity and quality of fats and oils and other food lipids. From 2010, L.Conte is chairperson of Italian Society for Researches on Fats and Oils

Dr. Paolo Lucci attained his PhD in 2008 at SAIFET department of the Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy). Starting from February 2009, he joined the NASCENT European Project as an experienced researcher at POLYIntell SAS (France) and then in 2010 he spent one year as experienced researcher at the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the University of Barcelona within the Carbosorb European Project. In April 2011, he joined the School of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) where he was named head of the research group of “Foods, Nutrition and Health” in 2012 and then head of the Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry in 2014.

Currently, he is a Senior Researcher in Food Chemistry at University of Udine (Italy). He has published several scientific papers and book chapters and he is editor of two books focused on sample treatment and LC-MS in food analysis.

Q&A: why are new and improved analytical methods for verifying olive oil quality needed?

Q: OLEUM will develop new and/or improved analytical methods for verifying olive oil quality and detecting fraud. Would it be more effective and faster to combat olive oil fraud by tightening regulatory thresholds for specific analytical markers? (e.g. lowering the threshold from 20 meq O₂/kg of oil down to 15 or 10 meq O₂/kg of oil for peroxides; from 0.8 to 0.6 for free acidity; or from 150 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg for alkyl esters)

This question is based on an enquiry from foodwatch Germany.

A: First of all, in order to fighting frauds in the olive oil sector it is highly desirable to foster a preventive action, thanks to a continuous increase in the analytical controls performed by the official bodies. On the other hand, food quality in general, and virgin olive oil quality in particular, is a complex concept where all the chemical parameters provide a partial indication of quality that is not complete or definitive. The discussion of reducing limits needs to consider the fact that the final objective is to obtain a product that is unquestionable in regard to each one of all the quality aspects. For example, peroxide value provides information from the oxidation status, ethyl esters of fatty acids provide some indication about fermentation and degradation in the olives, and free acidity provides information on hydrolysis reactions. All of them are different points of view of quality, and each one provides some indications that may be related with sensory quality to different degrees. For that reason, this ‘global perception’ of virgin olive oil quality is always introduced in the debate as an important factor.

In particular, peroxide value (PV) is just one useful parameters for describing the oxidative status of oils and fats, but it is not exhaustive. UV absorption is another very important assessment: K₂₃₂ is even more sensitive than PV to signal early oxidation status, while K₂₇₀ can be out of range later. PV usually shows the typical normal distribution curve. After a lag phase, peroxide levels increase until it reaches a maximum, after which the concentration decreases as they themselves undergo degradation. This means that even an oil with a high level of oxidation can show a relatively low PV, despite being very oxidised. It is true that a PV of 20 meq O₂/kg of oil is very high, as good quality oils have less than 10 meq O₂/kg oil or even, when freshly extracted, less than 5 meq O₂/kg oil. However, the limit of 20 meq O₂/kg oil has been established for all edible fats and oils within Codex Alimentarius, which also applies to olive oils. We agree that a lower limit is advisable for extra virgin olive oils, even if it requires measures to define how bottled oils are treated throughout a trade distribution chain that, often, does not respect basic conditions for avoiding oil oxidation (such as light on the shelf, heat during transportation and so on).

The current limit of free acidity (0.8 %) for extra virgin olive oil is, in fact, the result of a reduction of the previous limit (1.0 %), which was decreased more than one decade ago with the aim of stricter quality control. Today, there are ongoing discussions about whether to keep reducing the free acidity to lower values (e.g. 0.5 %) to be even stricter, since modern production lines are able to produce extra virgin olive oil with free acidity < 0.5%. Some regulations have already taken this action. However, it is important to keep in mind that this debate has to take place in the frame of an international regulatory context where a common definition of “extra virgin” category is desirable for facilitating the trade between countries. Harmonization of regulation is one of the current trends today, and this harmonization activity involves accommodating the current limits to the particularities of production in different places. That is why this discussion of lowering limits sometimes takes longer than expected in some cases.

Finally, regarding fatty acid ethyl esters, according to the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No. 2016/2095 of 26 September 2016 - amending Regulation (EEC) No. 2568/91 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-residue oil and on the relevant methods of analysis-, the legal limit for classifying an olive oil as extra virgin is already set at ≤ 35 mg/kg. The sum of methyl and ethyl esters ≤ 75 mg/kg or 75 mg/kg < sum of methyl and ethyl esters ≤ 150 mg/kg (in case of the ratio methyl esters/ethyl esters equal or higher than 1.5) correspond to the old legal limit (Commission Regulation (EU) No. 61/2011).

OLEUM Technical project meeting hosted in Seville, Spain

On 23 -24 February 2017, OLEUM partners joined a technical project meeting hosted by the Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) in Seville Spain.

After a welcome from the Instituto de la Grasa’s Director, the first day of the meeting began with the discussion of the project state of play and advancements about sampling procedure and analytical solutions related to olive oil quality and authenticity issues, presented by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi from University of Bologna (OLEUM Scientific coordinator) and Dr. Diego García Gonzalez from CSIC. Prof. Lanfranco Conte, from University of Udine, presented the next deliverable currently under preparation that is about the regulatory framework analysis, update and implementation. The progress on networking and technology transfer was discussed by Dr. Paul Brereton from Fera Science Ltd. To conclude, three parallel working groups were established to discuss and to focus on all the pending issues related to the current research activities.

On Day 2, Dr. Paul Brereton from Fera Science Ltd. led a discussion about the progress and next steps towards establishing the OLEUM Network, which will enable technical discussions and technology transfer of new methods and procedures and to foster laboratory proficiency and harmonization on a global scale. Progress on the development of the OLEUM Databank, an online integrated quality assurance database of olive oil analytical methods and data related to chemical and organoleptic characteristics, was presented by Dr. Alain Maquet of the European Commission Joint Research Centre.

The meeting finished with a tour of the Instituto de la Grasa analytical laboratories and pilot olive oil production line.

Old vs. new. A traditional olive mill from the 1950’s (left) and a modern olive oil pilot production line (right), which integrates all the steps in the olive oil production process (milling, centrifugation, filtration).

The laboratory for organoleptic assessment of edible oils contains individual booths for each member of the sensory panel. OLEUM aims to enhance the sensory panel performance by improving sensibility and discriminant capacity with the development and the adoption of formulated reference materials (RMs).

The next project meeting will be held in Thessaloniki on 4-5 October 2017 and the Advisory Board members will be invited and involved in a specific discussion session on the OLEUM advancements.

For more news from OLEUM, sign up to our newsletter at http://www.oleumproject.eu or follow us at @OLEUM_EU on Twitter.

OLEUM presented at Food Fraud Prevention and Effective Food Allergen Management Symposium

The OLEUM project was presented by project coordinator, Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi, University of Bologna, at the Food Fraud Prevention and Effective Food Allergen Management Symposium. The event was organized by the MoniQA Assocation and was held on 26th-27th January 2017, in Bari, Italy.

The symposium brought together participants from the food industry, ingredient suppliers, agricultural producers, retail and trade, consumer organizations, private and public analytical laboratories, representatives from R&D, marketing, quality control, legal departments, as well as food scientists, technologists, analytical method providers, regulatory bodies, authorities and the media.

Professor Gallina Toschi presented OLEUM’s aims to better guarantee olive oil quality and authenticity by empowering the detection and fostering the prevention of olive oil fraud. This will includes the development of new methods and careful revision of existing analytical methods for fraud detection in different categories of olive oil. The project will establish a wide community of laboratories and institutions involved in quality control (OLEUM Network) and by storing and sharing relevant data and results (OLEUM Databank). OLEUM has identified gaps – in legislation and regulatory, analytical approaches, harmonisation and coordination, and consumer and market confidence – and wants to address these and enhance competitiveness of Europe an olive oil sector.

For more information, visit the MoniQA Assocation, the dedicated symposium website or click here for a full summary of the event.

EU project OLEUM: Assuring the quality and authenticity of olive oil

Olive oil adulteration 

Europe is currently the largest producer of olive oil accounting for more than 70% of the world’s production. Nevertheless, non-EU countries are expanding their domestic production, increasing the competitiveness of the global olive oil market. This increased competitiveness, combined with expanding markets and a lack of efficient and harmonised analytical methods for detecting olive oil fraud has led to significant weaknesses that can be exploited by counterfeiters. The high price of olive oil, the distinctive sensory profile, and its reputation as a healthy source of dietary fats also makes olive oil a target for adulteration or illegal blending with other vegetable oils or deliberate mislabelling of less expensive classes of olive oil. As a result, olive oil adulteration for the purpose of financial gain has become one of the biggest sources of agricultural fraud in the EU. 

Aims of the OLEUM project 

The overall objective of OLEUM is to better guarantee olive oil quality and authenticity by empowering detection and fostering prevention of olive oil fraud. This overall objective is supported by 3 strategic objectives:

• To develop new and/or improved analytical methods for assuring the quality and authenticity of olive oil.
• To develop the OLEUM databank - an online integrated quality assurance database of olive oil analytical methods and data related to chemical and organoleptic characteristics (e.g. related to the sensory experience such as taste, odour, texture).
• To develop and support a worldwide community of proficient analytical laboratories involved in the analysis of olive oil, thus establishing a wide OLEUM Network. 

Expected outcomes of OLEUM research 

The consortium has identified four main areas of improvement that need to be addressed through research and development in the olive oil sector. OLEUM will carry out research activities and deliver outcomes in these four areas: 

• Legislative and regulatory: Despite regular revisions, the existing regulatory framework is not exhaustive or adequately effective at preventing common and new types of fraud. OLEUM will develop an array of potential solutions to aid EU and international regulators and policy makers to improve regulatory standards.
• Analytical: OLEUM will revise existing analytical methods for verifying olive oil quality and detecting fraud by identifying drawbacks and improving performance and efficiency (e.g improved, sensitivity and usability, decreased time and cost of analysis). The project will enhance methodology for organoleptic assessment by improved reproducibility and developing a quantitative support procedure. OLEUM will also aim to identify novel analytical markers for detecting illegal blends, measuring olive oil freshness and best-before quality, and for monitoring compliance with labelled geographical origin.
• Harmonisation and coordination: OLEUM will suggest improvements to international regulations including potential new methods and reference materials and promote technology transfer to a wider analytical community. A web-access user-friendly OLEUM Databank will store consolidate information on existing and emerging fraudulent practice and research generated by OLEUM and from existing reliable but fragmented sources.
• Consumer and market confidence: OLEUM will improve consumer and market confidence in olive oil products by developing a simple, reliable and proactive multi-stakeholder dissemination strategy to help preserve the image of olive oil on a global scale. The strategy will address tailored communication to the public and transfer of knowledge and technical dissemination to industries, the scientific community and regulatory bodies.

About the consortium 

OLEUM project started on 1st September 2016 and will run for four years. The project is coordinated by Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi of the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences of the University of Bologna, Italy. Twenty partners covering fifteen countries, bring together competences from food analysis, food legislation, industrial equipment engineering, bioinformatics, communication and knowledge exchange. 

OLEUM receives funding from the EU research and innovation framework programme, Horizon2020, under the Societal Challenge 2 – Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy. Grant agreement No 635690. 

This article is also available in Italian, French, German, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovenian and Turkish. 

References

• Gallina Toschi T, et al. (2013) Misdescription of edible oils: Flowcharts of analytical choices in a forensic view. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 115(11):1205–1223.
• Aparicio R, et al. (2013) Authenticity of olive oil: Mapping and comparing official methods and promising alternatives. Food Research International 54(2):2025–2038.
• Servili M, et al. (2015) New approaches to virgin olive oil quality, technology, and by-products valorization. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 117(11):1882–1892.
• Tsimidou MZ & Boskou D. (2015) The health claim on "olive oil polyphenols" and the need for meaningful terminology and effective analytical protocols. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 117(8):1091–1094.
• Gómez-Coca RB, Del Carmen Pérez-Camino M & Moreda W (2013) On the glucoside analysis: Simultaneous determination of free and esterified steryl glucosides in olive oil. Detailed analysis of standards as compulsory first step. Food Chemistry 141(2):1273–1280. 

Interdisciplinary Congress on Food Security “Law and Food Safety”

Project coordinator, Prof. Tullia Gallina Toschi has presented OLEUM at the Interdisciplinary Congress on Food Security “Law and Food Safety”, which was held on the 10th-11th December 2016, in Ravenna, Italy. The presentation, entitled “Il Progetto Internazionale OLEUM: la sfida europea per garantire la qualità e l’autenticità dell’olio di oliva” (“The International Project OLEUM: the European challenge to ensure the quality and authenticity of olive oil) was part of a session dedicated to Olive Oil and the Fight Against Fraud.

For more information, visit the event website or view the programme here.

OLEUM in Olio Officina Magazine

An introduction to the OLEUM project has been featured in the Olio Officina Magazine, an Italian-language technical website specialising in the topic of olive oil.

Click here to read the full article

OLEUM presented at Italy-China Science

The OLEUM project was presented at Italy-China Science Technology & Innovation Week 2016. The project coordinator, Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi, University of Bologna, gave an oral presentation on the project entitled "OLEUM: strategie analitiche per garantire l’autenticità e la qualità dell’olio di oliva su scala globale" ("OLEUM: analytical strategies to ensure the authenticity and quality of olive oil on a global scale").

A poster introducing the project was also presented by reserachers from the University of Bologna.

For more information about the event, click here.

OLEUM in UNIBO Magazine

An interview with the OLEUM coordinator, Professor Tullia Gallina Toschi, has been published in UNIBO Magazine, the online newspaper of the University of Bologna. Prof. Gallina Toschi is a full professor of the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, UNIBO. 

Click here to read the full article

Leaflet presented at Notte europea dei ricercatori

A leaflet created by the University of Bologna was presented at the Notte europea dei ricercatori (The European Researcher's Night), in Cesana, Italy, on 30 September 2016. The leaflet (in Italian) explained what are virgin olive oils and how to produce them at home!

The European Researchers' Night is an initiative promoted by the European Commission since 2005 that involves thousands of researchers and research institutions in all European countries annualy. It takes place throughout Europe every year on the last Friday of September. In 2016 the event was held on Friday, September 30 in more than 250 cities. The goal is to create opportunities for interaction between researchers and citizens to spread scientific culture and knowledge of the research profession in an informal and stimulating environment. Events include experiments and live science demonstrations, exhibitions and guided tours, lectures and educational seminars, shows, concerts and artistic performances. The Night is supported by the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, an EU program with the aim of promoting the careers of researchers in Europe.

To read the leaflet, click here.