The green color of olive oil comes from chlorophyll, and the amount varies a lot between types — Picual and its blends are the greenest, Manzanilla is the least green.
Scientific Claim
The chlorophyll content in unheated extra virgin olive oils varies from 9.51 to 20.27 mg pheophytin/kg, with Picual and Sensation having the highest levels and Manzanilla the lowest, and this variation correlates with oil color and blend composition.
Original Statement
“Chlorophyll content, expressed as mg phenophytin/1 kg of oil ranging from 9.51 to 20.27 for Manzanilla and Picual oils, respectively. The high content of chlorophyll in Arbequina and Picual oils influenced its high level in the resulting Armonia and Sensation blends.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study used AOCS method Cc 13i-96 to quantify chlorophyll, enabling definitive, precise statements about baseline pigment levels.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
This study looked at how olive oil changes when heated, not how green it is or how much chlorophyll it has, so it can't tell us if the claim about oil color and pigment levels is true.