Reading a B2B olive oil CoA line by line

A Certificate of Analysis is one page. Read it well and a buyer knows whether the shipment legally qualifies as Extra Virgin, how fresh the fruit was at extraction, how the oil has been stored, and whether anyone has tried to stretch it with refined or seed oils. Read it carelessly and the brand promise on the bottle becomes a hope.

This guide walks the IOC reference parameters in the order they appear on a standard CoA, with the interpretation each number carries for a B2B buyer. The reference is COI/T.15/NC No 3 (current revision) and EU Regulation 2568/91, which mirror each other for the legal limits.

1. The legal grades and where the limits sit

2. Free fatty acid (FFA) — the freshness number

FFA is the percentage by weight of free oleic acid in the oil. Olives store their oil as triglycerides — three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. Damage to the fruit (bruising, mould, fermentation, excessive storage before milling) activates lipase enzymes that cleave fatty acids off the backbone. The freer the fatty acids, the more damaged the fruit was at milling.

• 0.10–0.20% — premium early-harvest, fruit milled within 12 hours
• 0.20–0.30% — premium mainstream, fruit milled within 24 hours
• 0.30–0.60% — commercial EVOO, acceptable
• 0.60–0.80% — borderline EVOO, fruit was old
• > 0.80% — fails EVOO grade

3. Peroxide value — the early-oxidation number

Peroxide value (PV) measures the milliequivalents of active oxygen per kilogram of oil bound as hydroperoxides — the first oxidation products. PV rises with light, air, heat, and time. A premium fresh-pressed oil starts at 5–8; six months later it may sit at 10–14; twelve months later at 14–18. A new oil at FOB above 15 is a storage red flag.

4. K232, K270, ΔK — the UV coefficients

After hydroperoxides form, they break down into secondary oxidation products including conjugated dienes (read at 232 nm) and conjugated trienes (read at 270 nm). K232 measures the first stage of oxidation; K270 measures the second stage and is the signature of refined olive oil entering an EVOO blend (refined oils naturally have higher K270). ΔK is calculated from K266 and K274 readings and detects irregular absorbance patterns from sophisticated adulteration.

5. The sensory panel

Chemistry alone does not define EVOO — the IOC sensory method COI/T.20/Doc 15 is mandatory. A panel of 8–12 tasters, calibrated against reference samples, scores the oil on a profile sheet:

• Defects: fusty/muddy (anaerobic fermentation), musty (mould), winey-vinegary (acetic fermentation), rancid (oxidation), frostbitten (fruit was frozen). Defect > 0 = not Extra Virgin.
• Positive attributes: fruity (green or ripe), bitter, pungent. Premium oils score 4–7 on fruity and 3–5 on bitter/pungent.
• Median values: the panel result is reported as the median of all panellists, with the robust coefficient of variation (CVr%) shown alongside. CVr% > 20% means the panel disagreed too much; the test must be re-run.

6. Polyphenols — the EU health-claim number

Polyphenols are not in the legal EVOO grade definition, but they sit on every premium CoA because of EU Regulation 432/2012. The claim threshold is 250 mg/kg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives. Aegellia CoAs carry:

7. Fatty acid profile — the adulteration detective

Pure olive oil has a tight fatty acid window. The CoA fatty acid table is the buyer's anti-adulteration check:

8. The Aegellia CoA, end to end

Every Aegellia lot ships with a single-page CoA carrying:

1. Lot number, production date, FOB date
2. FFA, peroxide, K232, K270, ΔK with method codes
3. Sensory panel result with profile bar chart
4. Total polyphenols (Folin-Ciocalteu) and HPLC seven-compound breakdown
5. Full fatty acid profile (7 compounds)
6. Wax content (≤ 250 mg/kg) and sterol composition (adulteration check)
7. Lab accreditation reference (TÜRKAK + ISO/IEC 17025)
8. Witness sample retention period (24 months)

For polyphenol-specific reading, see high-polyphenol EVOO and the Aegean terroir. For the early-harvest factors that drive the CoA numbers, see the October procurement guide. To request a current-lot CoA, use the RFQ form.