How CHEBLA controls olive oil quality: in-house laboratory, free acidity, peroxide value, polyphenols, and compliance with international standards.
At Chebla, quality is not a promise — it is a scientifically verified standard.
Our fully equipped private laboratory embodies our commitment to excellence. Designed to rigorously analyse every drop, it assesses the physicochemical integrity and sensory profile of our olive oils with absolute precision.
Equipped with advanced analytical technology and a team of specialized experts, our laboratory carries out comprehensive testing protocols to ensure that every batch meets and exceeds the highest international benchmarks.
In strict compliance with International Olive Council standards, we carry out detailed assessments covering acidity levels, peroxide values, UV absorption and organoleptic attributes. This guarantees authenticity, purity and consistency for every Chebla product.
Having the laboratory on site rather than sending samples out is what makes per-lot release possible: no batch is filled before its analysis is back.
More detail on olive oil laboratory analysis, and on the record chain at olive oil traceability.
Free acidity measures the proportion of free fatty acids in the oil, expressed as oleic acid. It is the single most quoted figure in an olive oil specification, because it reports how the fruit was handled: damaged, delayed or badly stored olives all push it up, and no processing can bring it back down.
This is why our groves, mill and laboratory sit in the same area. Each of our three ranges carries its own ceiling:
| Range | Free acidity |
|---|---|
| Organic Premium — CCPB certified, limited production | ≤ 0.2% |
| Extra Virgin — cold-extracted, unrefined | ≤ 0.3% |
| Virgin — IOC-compliant, everyday culinary use | > 0.8% and < 2% |
The International Olive Council allows up to 0.8% for an extra virgin classification. Our extra virgin ceiling sits well below it, and the value actually measured is stated on the certificate that travels with each lot.
The peroxide value reports oxidation: how far the oil has reacted with oxygen since it was pressed. Where free acidity describes the fruit, the peroxide value describes the storage. Together with the UV absorption figures K232 and K270, it is what tells a buyer whether an oil will still be good at the end of its shelf life.
Standard physico-chemical parameters for our extra virgin production:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Peroxide value | ≤ 20 meq O₂/kg |
| Total polyphenols | 250 – 600 mg/kg |
| Moisture content | ≤ 0.1% |
| Wax | Conforms to IOC standards |
| K232 | Conform |
| K270 | Conform |
| Storage | Store in a cool and dry place |
| Shelf life | 24 months |
Free acidity is listed by range in the section above. Lot-specific values for every parameter are issued on the certificate of analysis supplied with each shipment.
Polyphenols are the natural antioxidants of the olive. They carry the bitterness and the peppery finish at the back of the throat, they protect the oil against oxidation, and they are the compounds behind the health claims associated with olive oil.
Our production measures 250 – 600 mg/kg of total polyphenols. The range is wide because it is genuine: Chetoui sits at the high end, Chemlali at the low end, and early harvest lots run higher than late ones. An exact figure is reported per lot rather than promised in advance.
Cold extraction below 27 °C is what preserves them — above that threshold they degrade, which is why the temperature is a specification and not a detail.
We send the certificate of analysis, the certifications and a documented commercial offer together.