Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Provenance Project

Summary European experience has shown that marketing advantage leading to higher prices in extra virgin olive oils can be achieved by emphasising the healthfulness and taste differences attributable to the region that the olive was grown. A pilot-study involving a collaborative effort between olive growers from the Fleurieu Peninsula region of South Australia and South East Queensland using the variety Frantoio showed that the oils from the two regions, harvested at the same ripeness, and processed identically could be reliably differentiated (>90% accuracy) by knowing the relative proportions of the types of polyphenols in the oils.