In-house olive oil laboratory: chemical analysis, free acidity, peroxide value, polyphenols and the certificate issued for each lot.
CHEBLA analyses its oil in its own laboratory, on the production site. That is a practical decision rather than a point of pride: a sample sent to an outside laboratory comes back days later, and by then the lot has usually moved on. Testing on site is what makes it possible to hold a lot until its result is in.
The laboratory carries out physico-chemical and sensory assessments in line with the International Olive Council framework, which is the reference used by buyers, customs authorities and competition juries alike.
Our laboratory is internal. It supports our own release decisions and the certificate we issue with your lot; we do not present it as an accredited third-party laboratory, and where your specification requires an independent analysis, we say so and arrange it.
Four measurements and one tasting decide whether a lot is released:
| Measurement | What it reports |
|---|---|
| Free acidity | How the fruit was handled between picking and extraction |
| Peroxide value | How far oxidation has already gone |
| UV absorption (K232, K270) | Oxidation products and signs of refining |
| Organoleptic assessment | Whether the oil tastes like what it claims to be |
Taken together they answer two different questions. The chemistry says how the oil was produced and stored; the tasting says what the customer will actually experience. An oil can pass the first and fail the second, which is exactly why both are required for an extra virgin claim.
What each figure means for a buyer, and the ceilings per range, are set out on olive oil quality and international standards.
The sensory assessment is the part buyers most often overlook and regulators take most seriously. A panel tastes the oil under controlled conditions and records two things: the positive attributes — fruitiness, bitterness, pungency — and any defect.
A single defect above the threshold disqualifies an extra virgin claim regardless of the chemistry. Rancidity, fustiness or a winey note point back to how the olives were stored or how long they waited before extraction, and no later processing removes them.
It is also the assessment that captures what a variety actually delivers: the almond and artichoke of Chemlali, the cut grass and pepper of Chetoui.
The certificate is the laboratory's output, and it is what ends up in your file. It states the lot number, the category claimed, the measured values for each parameter and the date of the analysis.
Two details are worth checking on any supplier's certificate, not only ours. First, that the lot number on it matches the goods you received — not a previous production. Second, that it carries measured values rather than the category ceilings copied across, which tells you the analysis was actually run.
How that number is created and what it ties together is described on olive oil traceability.
The rule we work to is simple: no lot is filled or loaded before its analysis is back. A lot that misses its specification is identified before packaging rather than after — which is the difference between an internal decision and a customer complaint.
For bulk shipments this means the tanker or flexitank is scheduled after release, never before, and the certificate travels with the load. The loading formats themselves are on bulk Tunisian olive oil, and the grade most often shipped that way on bulk extra virgin olive oil.
If you want to judge the system rather than the claim, ask for a recent certificate of analysis before you order.
Tell us the range that interests you: we send a recent certificate of analysis and the specification that goes with it.