Draft Israeli Standard SI 191  SI 191  
 
 
June 2008  2008  
 
 ICS code: 67.200.10  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Olive oil  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This document is a proposal only  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The Standards Institution of Israel  
 
 
42 Chaim Levanon Street, Tel -Aviv 69977 , tel. 972 -3-6465154, fax 972-3-6412762, www.sii.org.il  
 
 MK/DK/ZG     05.06.08  
 Draft SI 191 (2008)  
This Standard was prepared and approved by Technical Committee 508 – vegetable fats and oils and their 
products, with the following composition:  
Israel Industrialists’ Association  - Asaf Ovadiah, Uri Tzegla (chairman)  
Olives Council  - Amir Gur Lavi, Gadi Hurwitz  
Standards Institution of Israel – Industry Division  - Ruti Aradi  
Ministry of Health  - Einat Haliva  
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment  - Pinchas Kutscher  
Israeli Defence Forces – Food Br anch  - Ella Karbiyev -Weissbord  
 
 
Naftali Pollack coordinated the Standard’s preparation.  
 Draft SI 191 (2008)  
  
Notice of revision  
This Standard replaces  
Israeli Standard SI 191 of March 1998  
  
Descriptors:  
Food products, food testing, vegetable oils, olive oil.  
  
The Standa rd’s updating status  
Israeli Standards undergo reviewing from time to time, at least once every five years , to adapt them to 
scientific and technological developments.  
Those using the Standards should make sure that they have the up -to-date edition of the Standard incl. its 
amendment sheets.  
A document published in Reshumot [ Official Gazette] as an amendment sheet, may be a separate 
amendment sheet or an amendment combined with a Standard.  
  
The Standard’s validity  
An Israeli Standard  incl. its updates come s into force as from its publication in Reshumot.  
One should check whether the Standard is official or whether parts of it are official. An official Standard or 
an official amendment sheet (in whole or in part) come into force 60 days from publication of t he notice in 
Reshumot, unless the notice specifies a later date  for coming into force.  
 
  
Labelling with a Standard mark  
Anyone who manufactures a product that conforms to the requirements of 
the Israeli Standards that are applicable to it, may, under a pe rmit from the 
Standards Institution of Israel, label it with a Standard mark:  
 
  
Copyright  
© Photocopying, duplicati on or publi cation of this Standard or parts thereof, using any method, without 
prior authorisation in writing from the Standards Instituti on of Israel  is prohibited.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
 
Table of contents  
 
Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......1 
Chapter A – General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 1 
1.1  Applicability ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 1 
1.2  References ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .1 
1.3  Sorting, designation  and description ................................ ................................ ......................... 2 
Chapter B – General requirements  ................................ ................................ .............................. 2 
2.1  Additives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....2 
2.2  Packaging ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..3 
2.3  Labell ing ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...3 
2.4  Storage ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......4 
2.5  General requirements for the product  ................................ ................................ ....................... 4 
2.6  Non -conformity of one packaging unit to the Standard ................................ ............................ 4 
Chapter C – Test requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ ....4 
3.1  Oil content in the container ................................ ................................ ................................ .......4 
3.2  Clarit y ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......4 
3.3  Presence of foreign oils ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 5 
3.4  Com position and quality ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 5 
Chapter D – Test ing methods ................................ ................................ ................................ .......6 
4.1  Composition and quality tests ................................ ................................ ................................ ...7 
Schedule A  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......8 
Terminology  list ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 8 
 Draft SI 191 (2008)  
1 Introduction  
This Standard is based in part on the IOOC document on olive oils and olive -pomace oils.  
The IOOC document is upda ted from time to time, therefore this Standard – SI 191 – does not quote 
quan titative  provisions , but instead quotes references to the appropriate provisions in the latest edition of the 
IOOC document.  
Note:  
See Schedule A for guidance on locating the up -to-date IOOC document on olive oils and olive -pomace oils.  
 
 
Chapter A – General  
 
1.1 Applicability  
 This Standard applies to oil produced from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) and suitable for 
use in food without additional treatment (hereund er ‘the product’).  
 
1.2 References  
 Standards and documents referred to in this Standard (for undated Standards and documents, the latest 
edition applies):  
Israeli Standards  
SI 172  - Glass containers for food products and beverages  
SI 228  - Edible vegetabl e oils: tests  
SI 1059  - Weight tolerance and volume tolerance of pre -packed food products  
SI 1145  - Labelling of pre -packed food  
SI 5113  - Plastic materials and products and their constituents made of plastic, which come into contact 
with food and beverage s 
Israeli Acts, regulations and documents  
Public Health Regulations (Food) (Closure of Food Packaging), 5753 -1992, Regulations Code 5474 of 
05.10.199 2 
Public Health Regulations (Food) ( Nutritional Labelling ), 5753 -1993, Regulations Code 5 524 of 
25.05 .1993  
Public Health Regulations (Food) ( Nutritional Labelling ) (Amendment) , 575 4-1994, Regulations Code 
5600 of 25.05.1994  
Foreign documents  
IOOC  - International Olive Oil Council – Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive -pomace oils  
CFR  - Code of Federa l Regulations (FDA) title 21  
FCC  - Food Chemicals Index  
AOAC  - Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC INTERNATIONAL  
AOCS  - American Oil Chemists’ Society – Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the 
AOCS  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
2 1.3 Sortin g, designation and description  
 The olive oil shall be of one of the following sorts only (the phrases in quotation marks  serve to designate  
the product sort ): 
 
1.3.1 Virgin olive oil  1 
 Olive oil produced only by pressing or by a similar mechanical process, without undergoing further 
treatm ent and without the addition of olive oil produced in a different process. Virgin olive oil includes 
the following sorts:  
 
1.3.1.1 “Extra virgin olive oil” 1 
 Virgin olive oil without any fault in its flavour, and whose acidity when expressed in percentage s by 
weight of oleic acid does not exceed the value quoted in the definition of this sort in the IOOC 
document.  
 
1.3.1.2 “Virgin olive oil” 1 
 Virgin olive oil without any fault in its flavour, and whose acidity when expressed in percentages by 
weight of o leic acid does not exceed the value quoted in the definition of this sort in the IOOC 
document.  
 
1.3.1.3 “Ordinary olive oil” 1 
 Virgin olive oil whose  flavour  is still good , and whose acidity when expressed in percentages by 
weight of oleic acid does not exceed the value quoted in the definition of this sort in the IOOC 
document.  
 
1.3.2 “Refined olive oil”  1 
 Virgin olive oil that has undergone a refining process  (incl. degumming , clarification  and 
deodorisation ). 
 
1.3.3 “Olive oil”  1 
 Olive oil produced b y mixing virgin olive oil with refined olive oil  
 
1.3.4 “Refined olive -pomace oil”  1 
 Oil produced by extraction from  olives or pomace of olives using a suitable solvent, that has undergone 
a refining process  (incl. degumming , clarification and deodorisati on). 
 
1.3.5 “Olive -pomace oil”  1 
 Oil produced by mixing refined olive -pomace oil with virgin olive oil.  
 
 
Chapter B – General  requirements  
 
2.1 Additives  
 
2.1.1 The addition to olive oil sorts of other oils and/or additives not permitted under this Standa rd and 
referring to the oil by a name that includes the words ‘olive oil’ is prohibited. 
 
2.1.2 “Refined olive oil”, “refined olive -pomace oil” and mixtures of these oils with virgin olive oil  may only 
have the following substances added:  
 
                                                
1  See terminology at the end of the St andard.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
3 2.1.2.1 α tocoph erol (natural or synthetic), provided that the α tocopherol content in the final oil does not 
exceed 200 parts per million;  
 
2.1.2.2 citric acid  (which serves as an auxiliary substance in production).  
 
2.2 Packaging  
 The product shall be packaged in clean single -use containers, made of a material that protects the oil and 
does not adversely affect its quality, flavour, odour or appearance, such as metal can s, glass and 
plastomers approved for food packaging.  
 The packaging materials shall conform to the up -to-date Israeli regulations and Standards that apply to 
them, and in their absence – to the requirements for food packaging materials of the USA’s Federal Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA), as published in the latest edition of CFR, Title 21.  
Comments:  
- Details of the above with regard to plastic materials  used for food packaging are listed in Israeli Standard SI 
5113.  
- Details of the above with regard to glass containers  used for food packaging are listed in Israeli Standard SI 
172. 
- See also “Public H ealth Regulations (Food) (Closure of Food Packaging) ”, 5753 -1992 , incl. their updates, or 
any other statute replacing them.  
 
2.3 Labelling  
 The product ’s labelling shall be as required in Israeli Standard SI 1145 and in Public Health Regulations 
(Food) (Nu tritional Labelling)  2, with the following modifications and additions:  
 
2.3.1 The product’s name shall be labelled, according to the product sort, with one of the designations 
specified in section 1.3. 
 
2.3.2 The acidity of virgin olive oil (sorts 1.3.1.1  – 1.3.1.3), expressed as % (by weight) of oleic acid, shall 
be labelled with the words “maximum acidity …”, stating the value corresponding to the product sort 
(as specified in subsections 1.3.1.1 to 1.3.1.3 and as quoted in the definition of the correspo nding sort 
in the IOOC document). This labelling shall be stated as a designation secondary to the product’s name, 
in letters and digits no smaller in size than 2/3 of the size of the letters used to label the product’s name. 
 
2.3.3 An oil not produced fro m the fruit of the olive tree only, must not be designated by a name that 
includes the words ‘olive oil’ or the words ‘olive -pomace oil’ or the words ‘olive flavour’, whether 
adjacent to each other or separated, and its packaging shall not be marked with p ictures or any graphic 
description (e.g. illustration) of any part of the olive tree. 
 
2.3.4 Olive oil to which were added spices or herbs or flavouring, must not be designated by a name that 
includes the words ‘olive oil’, but it may be designated by a na me that includes the word ‘oil’ and the 
word ‘flavoured’. 
 
2.3.5 The additives (section 2.1), if any, shall be labelled 3. 
                                                
2 Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling), 5753 -1993, published in Regulations Code 5524 of 
25.05.1993  and amended in Regulations Code  5600 of 25.05.1994, incl. their updates, or any other statute 
replacing them.  
3 There is no requ irement to label the addition of citric acid (subsection 2.1.2.2) since it is used as an auxiliary 
substance in production.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
4  
2.3.6 The date shall be labelled as specified in Israeli Standard SI 1145 for “Food products, excluding food 
products that are high ly susceptible to microbial spoiling ”, provided that the date stat ing the  minimum 
durability  shall be no later than as quoted below : 
 For sorts 1.31, 1.3.3, 1.35:  
 - eighteen months from filling date – for oil packaged in metal cans; 
 - one year from filli ng date – for oil packaged other than in metal cans . 
 For sorts 1.3.2, 1.3.4:  
 - eighteen months from filling date. 
 
2.3.7 There shall be a labelled instruction to store the product in a dark and cool place.  
 
2.4 Storage  
 The product shall be stored in a d ark and cool place.  
 
2.5 General requirements for the product  
 The olive oil’s flavour and odour shall be characteristic of good olive oil, without putrid  or foreign 
flavour or odour.  
 
2.6 Non-conformity of one packaging unit to the Standard  
 The packaging  unit (one container containing olive oil) does not conform to the Standard, if it does not 
conform to one or more of its requirements.  
 
 
Chapter C – Test requirements  
 
3.1 Oil content in the container  
 
3.1.1 Actual content  
 When checking the content as sp ecified in Israeli Standard SI 1059, the actual oil content shall conform 
to the requirements quoted in said Standard for easily filled products. Conversion of the weight unit to 
a volume unit, where necessary, shall be done according to a specific mass of  0.92 g per ml. 
 
3.1.2 Filling level of the oil in the container  
 The volume of oil in the container shall be at least 90% of the container’s capacity.  
 The above notwithstanding, the volume of oil in metal containers whose capacity is 1 litre or less shal l 
be at least 80% of the container’s capacity . 
 The container’s capacity is equal to the volume of distilled water at a temperature of 20 ºC required to 
fill the container. 
 
3.2 Clarity  
 Oil that has been kept for 24 hours at a temperature of 20 ºC shall c onform to the following:  
 - virgin olive oil (sort 1.3.1) shall be clear  4; 
 - “refined olive oil” (sort 1.3.2) shall be limpid  5 and devoid of any sedimen t. 
                                                
4 clear oil – oil through which there is easy visibility.  
5 limpid oil – oil devoid of any visible particles or turbidity.  
 (Accordi ng to the Academy of the Hebrew Language, the term limpid is also translated as [the Hebrew for] clear.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
5  
3.3 Presence of foreign oils  
 The presence of foreign oils is prohibited in all sorts of olive o il (see also the requirements specified in 
section 3.4 that relate to purity criteria  1). 
 The presence of specific edible oils is tested for according to the methods specified in AOAC’s test book6 
in the chapter headed “Oils and Fats” or according to sect ion 4.1 in this Standard.  
 The tests shall be conducted in the event of suspicion or by special demand . 
 
3.4 Composition and quality  
 The oil’s composition and quality shall be as quoted in the sections specified below , from the up -to-date 
edition of the I OOC document  7,
 8. 
 Note:  
 The numbering of sections and their headers in English are as quoted in the IOOC document  7. The 
translation of the section headers into Hebrew is shown alongside.  
 The tests in the sections marked with an asterisk shall be condu cted by special demand, using the 
methods specified in chapter D in this Standard.  
                                                
6 Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC INTERNATIONAL.  
7 International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) – Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive -pomace oils. 
8 The designations in English of the various sorts of olive oil in section 1.3 “Sorting, designation and description” 
in this Standard are identical to the IOOC designations.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
6  
3. Purity criteria  
3.1 - Fatty acid composition by gas 
chromatography (expressed as % mass for 
mass of the methyl esters)  
3.2 - Trans isomer fatty acid content *  
 
3.3.1  - Sterol composition (% of total sterols) *  
 
3.3.2  - Total sterol content (mg per kg) *  
3.3.3  - Erythrodiol and uvaol content (% of total 
sterols) *  
3.4 - Wax content (mg per kg) *  
 
3.5 - Maximum difference between the actual 
and the theoretical content of t riglycerides 
containing ECN 42 *  
3.6 - Stigmastadiene content (mg per kg) *  
3.7 - Content of saturated fatty acids at the 2 -
position in the triglycerides *  
 
 
3.8 - Unsaponifiable matter (g per kg)  - Fatty acid composition as determined by 
gas chromatograph y 
 (% m /m methyl esters)  
- Trans fatty acid content  (% trans fatty 
acids)  * 
- Desmethyls terol composition 
(% total sterols) *  
- Total sterol content (mg /kg) *  
- Erythrodiol and uvaol content 
(% total sterols) *  
- Wax content C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 
(mg/kg) *  
- Maximum difference between the 
actual and theoretical ECN 42 
triglyceride content  * 
- Stigmastadiene content (mg /kg) *  
- Saturated fatty acid  content  at the 2 -
position in the triglycerides : sum of 
palmitic and stearic acids:  
 % fatty acids in the 2 -position * 
- Unsaponifiable matter (g/ kg)  
4. Quali ty criteria  
4.2 - Free fatty acids  
  Expressed as % mass for mass oleic acid  9 
4.3 - Peroxide value  
  (milli -equivalent peroxide oxygen per kg 
oil) 
4.4 - Absorption in ultraviolet light  
4.5 - Moisture and vol atile matter  
  (expressed as % mass for mass)  
4.6 - Insoluble matter in ether petroleum  
  (expressed as % mass for mass)  
4.8 - Trace metals (iron, copper) (mg per kg) *  - Free acidity  
 % m/m e xpressed in oleic acid  9 
- Peroxide value  
 In milleq. Peroxide oxygen per kg oil  
 
- Absor bency  in Ultra-violet  
 
- Moisture and volatile matter  (% m/m)  
 
- Insoluble impurities in light petroleum  
 (% m/m) ) 
- Trace metals ( Iron, Copper) (mg /kg) *   
6. Contaminants  
6.3 - Halogenated solvents (mg per kg) *  - Halogenated s olvents (mg/kg) *   
 
                                                
9 Provided that acidity (expressed as % oleic acid) of “refined olive oil” does not exceed the one quoted in the 
definition of this sort in the IOOC document.  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
7 Chapter D – Testing methods  
 
4.1 Composition and quality tests  
 The olive oil’s composition and quality (see section 3.4) are tested using the testing methods specified 
below:  
 
Table 1  
 
Tested constituent  Testing method as per:  
Fatty  acid composition by gas chromatography  IOOC document  7 
AOCS  10 Official Method Ce IC -89 
Trans isomer fatty acid content  AOCS  10 Official Method Ce IC -89 
AOCS  10 Recommended Practice Cd 14C -94 
Sterol composition  IOOC document  7 
Total sterol content  IOOC document  7 
Erythrodiol and uvaol content  IOOC document  7 
Wax content  IOOC document  7 
Maximum difference between the actual and the 
theoretical content of triglycerides containing ECN 42  IOOC document  7 
Stigmastadiene content  IOOC document  7 
Content of  saturated fatty acids at the 2 -position in the 
triglycerides  IOOC document  7 
Unsaponifiable matter  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Free fatty acids  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Peroxide value  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Absorption in ultraviolet light  IOOC document  7 
Moisture and volatile matter  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Insoluble matter in ether petroleum  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Trace metals  Israeli Standard SI 228  
Halogenated solvents  IOOC document  7 
 
                                                
10 AOCS – American Oil Chemists’ Society  Draft SI 191 (2008)  
8  
Schedule A  
(for information only)  
 
 
Hereunder explanation on how to locate on the IOOC 7 website the up -to-date edition of the Standard  
Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive -pomace oils  
 
(1) Go to  the IOOC website at the address http://www.internationaloliveoil.org  
(2) Enter the site by pressing  Areas of a ctivity  
(3) In the areas of activity row press  Chemistry  
(4) In the opening menu press  Standards  
(5) In the opening page press  Trade standards on olive oil  
(6) You will be presented with a brief text and a short list of documents to download  
 The Standard is the document identified as Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive -pomace oils  
(7) In the row below the Standard’s name, press a letter representing the selected language from among those 
in which the Standard is displayed  on the site . To read t he English version of the Standard, press E.  
 
 
 
Terminology list  
Purity criteria  
Olive -pomace oil  
Refined olive -pomace oil  
Olive oil  
Virgin olive oil  
Extra virgin olive oil  
Ordinary virgin olive oil  
Refined olive oil