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.
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.
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:
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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