Products/ Olive oil / Αγουρέλαιο – Wild Athos

Known since antiquity as ‘omotrives’ or ‘omphakinon’, unripe olive oil is the natural oil prepared from the crushing of unripe green olives.

Wild Athos is produced with the same ancient recipe, before the olives mature, when they are still unripe and green. The olives are harvested early in mid-October, picked from the trees by hand and processed within 24 hours.

PROPERTIES

PDO HALKIDIKI UNRIPE OLIVE OIL is the only Greek unripe olive oil certified as PDO (protected designation of origin).

It is a monovarietal unripe olive oil that is produced exclusively from Halkidiki coarse olives, in a limited quantity and under the strictest specifications. Its characteristics include an extremely low acidity, a fruity aroma of freshly cut grass and unripe green banana, a delicate and pleasantly bitter taste and, finally, a spicy aftertaste. Its characteristics reveal its rich nutrients and mild processing conditions. It contains a larger amount of antioxidants compared to most extra virgin olive oils, while its excellent organoleptic characteristics demonstrate the rare quality of this unripe olive oil that we recommend is consumed in its raw state.

It is noted that, according to regulation 432/2012 of the European Union, the antioxidants oleocanthal and oleasin contained in Halkidiki unripe olive oil have significant biological effects and protect against the oxidation of blood lipids, as these substances have been attributed anti-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties.

 

ASSOCIATION OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES OF HALKIDIKI

Study for the recognition of the olive oil ‘Agoureleo Halkidiki’ as PDO

wwww.minagric.gr/greek/data/προδιαγραφές προϊόντος

 

 

1. NAME

Αγουρέλαιο Χαλκιδικής – Agoureleo Chalkidikis

 

2. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

2.1. Raw material

Agoureleo Chalkidikis oil is extracted using exclusively mechanical methods from fruits of the indigenous varieties ‘Chondrolia Halkidiki’ and ‘Halkidiki’ (of the Olea Europaea species). These olives are mostly cultivated in the prefecture of Halkidiki, at a rate of over 90% in terms of cultivation area. The ‘Halkidiki’ and ‘Chondrolia Halkidiki’ varieties differ from each other in some morphological and physiological characteristics, however they produce a homogeneous product due to the ecological environment of Halkidiki, the chemical composition of the soil, the way the traditional olive trees are grown and the methods used for the collection and extraction of the oil. These varieties are considered to produce the largest fruit of all the Greek varieties and they have a dual use; the production of high-quality edible olives and the production of olive oil (oil yield: 14%–20%).

The processed fruit, known as the edible Green Olive of Halkidiki, is one of the most reputed olives on the market due to its large size, with a flesh to pit ratio of up to 10:1 and sizes ranging from 181/200 to 60/70 olives per kilo.

The same fruit is used for the production of Agoureleo Chalkidikis oil, but in sizes less than 181/200 olives per kilo.

2.2. Characteristics of Agoureleo Chalkidikis

Agoureleo Chalkidikis is an extra virgin olive oil from olives of the varieties CHONDROLIA HALKIDIKI and HALKIDIKI. The olives are collected and squeezed before they reach full ripeness, whilst the fruit is still green.

The characteristics of Agoureleo Chalkidikis 1:

COLOUR
Shades from bright green to bright green/yellow.

DEFECTS
Zero (Md = 0.0)

FRAGRANCE
Fruity, with a slight hint of exotic fruits (banana) and freshly cut grass (Mf > 4.0)

TASTE
Bitter (Mb > 3.5) and spicy (Mp > 4.0) with a characteristic mildly bitter aftertaste.

APPEARANCE
Cloudy at first, immediately after extraction. The initial cloudiness (due to the pulp of the olive) disappears within about two months and Agoureleo Chalkidikis acquires a completely clear appearance.

ACIDITY
≤ 0.5% in oleic acid

PEROXIDES
≤ 15 (meq of active oxygen/kg)

K232
≤ 2,00

K27O
≤ 0,20

WAXES
≤ 150 mg/kg

 

3. GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

The region of origin is located within the boundaries of the Prefecture of Halkidiki, excluding Mount Athos.

The Prefecture of Halkidiki is one of the prefectures of the geographical region of Macedonia and belongs to the region of Central Macedonia.

The prefecture borders N.NW. with the Prefecture of Thessaloniki and borders the Aegean Sea in the other directions. Geographically, it includes the Halkidiki peninsula with its characteristic shape of three peninsulas (the ‘legs’ of Halkidiki) except for the easternmost peninsula of Mount Athos, which is independent.

 

4. PROOF OF ORIGIN

The producers of the raw material are registered in the Olive Register , kept in the Department of Agriculture of the Prefecture of Halkidiki, as well as in the Integrated Management and Control System (OSDE), which is updated every year.

Records of imports and exports are kept by the producers and packagers of Agoureleo Chalkidikis in order to ensure the traceability of the product:

1. The producers of olives intended for use in the production of Agoureleo Chalkidikis keep a file, in which they record the reference number of the agricultural parcels from where the olives are grown, the quantity of olives delivered to each mill to be squeezed and the details of the olive mill to which they were delivered.

2. The olive mill, upon receiving the olives, keeps a file with the name of the producer, the reference numbers and origins of the agricultural parcels of the olives, the quantity of the olives and the total quantity of the Agoureleo oil produced. Each batch of olive extract for the production of Agoureleo of Halkidiki is identified.

Regarding the electronic management of the mill, all of the above data is recorded electronically and the batch code of the olive extract is the serial number of the Service / Quantitative Receipt Card issued by the programme.

3. The packaging plant, upon receiving the Agoureleo oil, receives a copy of the above information issued by the mill. It enters the date of receipt on the receipt sheet, the details of the producer, the reference numbers of the agricultural parcels, the details of the olive mill and the batch number of Agoureleo. It also records the amount of Agoureleo oil it receives, the degree of acidity and the tank in which it is stored.

4. Upon the filling of the tanks, a complete analysis of Agoureleo is made in an accredited laboratory to check its compliance with the specifications.

5. During the packaging of the product, a record is kept with the date of packaging, the quantity, the type of packaging and the tank of origin of the packaged Agoureleo oil. Each batch of packaged products is identified by its lot number which is indicated on the package and is registered in the records.

6. The packaging plant keeps output records: date, destination, recipient details, quantity and lot numbers.

 

Each processing plant is registered by name and its headquarters in the relevant register of the Halkidiki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as in the corresponding register of the Greek Payment Authority of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Aid Schemes (OPEKEPE), with a unique code.

The records kept by producers and processors allows the origin and destination of the product to be identified, as well as the quantities that have been obtained and distributed to the market.

Some of you will probably have noticed that some olive oil packages state that the oil contains properties which protect the body against various health issues. This is because for some years now, specifically since 2012, olive oil as a food carries a health claim with the approval of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The health claim is strictly defined by Regulation 432/2012 of the European Commission and states that: ‘The phenolic compounds of olive oil help protect blood lipids from oxidative damage’.

For this to be indicated on the label of olive oil packaging, certain conditions must be met, e.g., it can only be used for ‘olive oil containing 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (e.g. oleuropein and tyrosol complex) per 20 grams (g) of olive oil’ or 250 mg of polyphenols per kilogram of olive oil. In order to receive the health benefits of phenols, the recommended dose is 20 grams of olive oil per day (about one and a half tablespoons).

 

Wild Athos Awards

 

Awards and Certifications