Olive oil assays may help assure authenticity

When the label on a bottle of olive oil misrepresents what’s inside, shoppers may not be getting what they thought they paid for. Mislabeling is also of concern to chefs, retailers, and America’s olive growers and olive oil processors – especially those newly entering the domestic olive oil market. They face tough international competition: An estimated 98% of all olive oil consumed in the United States is imported.
Help may be on the way in the form of laboratory assays developed by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers and their colleagues.