Oil organoleptic characteristics
There are many different oils, which owe their characteristics to the type, the harvest area and the harvest time.
The organoleptic characteristics of oil are its color, fragrance and fluidity. The color of an olive oil is the product of a great many pigments. When the chlorophylls prevail, we have green oils, whereas a prevalence of carotenes and carotenoids will give us oils of a more or less intense yellow color.
The aromatic notes perceived by the nose and mouth are produced by volatile aromatic compounds and polyphenols. The degree of ripeness and the method of extraction have an enormous effect on the quantity of substances that contribute to forming the taste of an olive oil.
The sensation of astringency on the tongue (as when biting into an unripe fruit) is a characteristic of, for example, tannic phenolic compounds.
Just after extraction, many oils tend to be prevalently bitter, due to an abundance of flavonoids and secoiridoids.
High concentrations of these substances also produce strongly pungent sensations, while low concentrations are characteristic of sweet oils.
