The Shelf Life Of Bulk Olive Oil

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Bulk Olive Oil Shelf Life Standards TimelineEvery olive oil supplier will have their own standard for how long their olive oil should last. Centra Foods’ olive oil has a shelf life of 2 years from the date of manufacture.

Why Olive Oil Has A Shelf Life

Olive oil is a natural product, and like most natural food products they are best used when fresh. Especially Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is really just a fresh fruit juice. After pressing, the oil will be at it’s utmost freshness and ideal flavor. After that, the oil will slowly begin to lessen in color and flavor strength. Under proper storage conditions, this is a very slow process.

You can expect to use your olive oil for up to two years after the date of manufacture. Want the freshest and strongest flavor? Give yourself a little bit of leeway and plan to use it within 10 months to one year.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs. Refined Grades

Because Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Virgin Olive Oil are both fresh fruit juices, they have a stronger, flesh flavor and are subject to degrading more than other refined types of olive oil. For these oils, it’s more important to use the oil more quickly if you’d like it to taste as fresh as possible.

Grades like Refined, Pure Olive Oil and Olive Pomace Oil all undergo a high-heat refining process which removes much of the color and flavor from the oil. Therefore, as the oil ages loosing color and flavor, you might not notice such a significant difference from the original.

What You Can Do To Extend The Shelf Life

Keep in mind, there are a number things that you can do to help preserve the shelf life of your oil.

Proper storage conditions will help extend the shelf life as long as possible. Olive oil is degraded by exposure to the following things, which each increase the acidity in the oil and lowers the quality. Keep the following in mind:

  • Olive oil likes cool conditions. Keep olive oil slightly cooler than room temperature. You can even refrigerate it-- just keep in mind that it does turn into the consistency of butter. You’ll need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and potentially mix up any olive particles that may have settled.
  • Keep olive oil in a dark room, or store it in light-proof packaging (like drums or BIB totes).
  • Avoid exposure to air. Packaging like the Bag in a Box containers have a inner bag that collapses around the oil as you use it. The advantage to this packaging is that it keeps the air out as you use it.

Keep that 2 year timeline in mind, and remember that it’s from the date of manufacture not when you purchased it.  Wondering when the date of manufacture is? You can find it on your Certificate of Analysis that comes with your order.

Note: If you work with a different olive oil supplier than Centra Foods, check with them for their own shelf life recommendations.

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Topics: Olive Oil

 

 

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