EN Official Journal of the European Union C 276/17

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2013/C 276/08

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘ACEITUNA DE MALLORCA’/‘ACEITUNA MALLORQUINA’/‘OLIVA DE MALLORCA’/‘OLIVA MALLORQUINA’

EC No: ES-PDO-0005-01051-29.10.2012

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Aceituna de Mallorca’/‘Aceituna Mallorquina’/‘Oliva de Mallorca’/‘Oliva Mallorquina’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies

The protected designation of origin ‘Aceituna de Mallorca’/‘Aceituna Mallorquina’/‘Oliva de Mallorca’/‘Oliva Mallorquina’ covers three variants: green, bruised green and natural black. These are table olives of the indigenous Majorcan variety, partially fermented in brine. Furthermore, the bruised green olive is flavoured with fennel and chilli pepper and the natural black olive is flavoured with Majorcan oil (‘Aceite de Mallorca’).

The olives intended for the protected designation of origin have the following organoleptic and physical-chemical characteristics:

— shape: spindle-shaped, slightly asymmetrical, with a rounded apex, no hilum and in most cases, with small lenticels,

— size: small-medium,

— colour: green, yellowy-green or brownish-black, depending on the degree of ripeness,

— appearance: shiny,

— flesh: barely attached to the stone (floating stone),

— flavour: predominantly bitter,

— tactile feel of the flesh: unctuous,

— unsaturated fatty acids: ≥ 83 % of total fatty acids,

— oleic acid + linoleic acid: ≥ 78 % of total fatty acids,

— total polyphenols: ≥ 245 mg of gallic acid/100 g,

— suitability for conservation: high.

The olive's degree of ripeness at the time of picking is what distinguishes between green and black olives. The degree of ripeness, together with the production method, particularly the flavouring, makes it possible to obtain three variants with the following characteristics:

1. Whole green

Olives picked before winter. These are sold in packages with a covering liquid that has at least 6 % sodium chloride and a maximum pH of 4,3.

Organoleptic characteristics:

Colour: green to yellowy-green of low intensity.

Aroma: intense vegetable (olive leaf) and mineral (brine).

Texture: firm to the touch and barely deformable. In the mouth, it is characterised by its high firmness, cohesion and low friability. Chewing the olive produces a sensation of unctuousness and audible grinding.

Flavour: intense; a balance between acid, salty and bitter flavours.

Sensations: marked astringency and spiciness.

Prolonged after-taste and pronounced astringency.

2. Bruised green

Olives picked before winter, bruised and flavoured with fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and chilli peppers (Capsicum annum L.) from Majorca. These are sold in packages with a covering liquid that has at least 6 % sodium chloride and a maximum pH of 4,3.

Organoleptic characteristics:

Colour: green to yellowy-green, shiny.

Aroma: intensely vegetable, with the aromatic plants (fennel) clearly identifiable and a light hint of chilli peppers.

Texture: soft to the touch, deformable and elastic, accentuating the irregular incision of the epicarp and mesocarp resulting from the bruising process. In the mouth, it is soft, unctuous and has average cohesiveness.

Flavour: intense, salty and bitter.

Sensations: pronounced astringency and spicy sensation.

After-taste: prolonged.

3. Natural black

These olives are picked after winter and flavoured with Majorcan oil. They are sold packaged without any covering liquid.

Organoleptic characteristics:

Colour: dark brown, almost black.

Aroma: earthy, of average intensity.

Texture: the surface is smooth and irregular to the touch. In the mouth, the texture of the mesocarp is unctuous, soft and juicy, with low cohesiveness.

Flavour: intense, with balanced acidic and salty flavours.

Sensations: a slight bitterness and astringent note can be detected.

After-taste: average duration.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

Only olives of the indigenous Majorcan variety produced in Majorca may be used.

For the green and bruised green variants, the olives are collected when they are young, i.e. before winter, and the natural black olives are collected when winter is over.

The bruised green olives are flavoured with fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) from Majorca, chilli peppers (Capsicum annum L.) from Majorca and salt.

The natural black olives are flavoured with Majorcan oil.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The production and processing (selection, washing, bruising, salting and flavouring) of the olives protected by the designation of origin take place on the island of Majorca.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

The packaging should be considered as the final stage in production and it is essential for conserving the olives and guaranteeing their distinctive quality characteristics.

Because of the product's specific characteristics, particularly its production system and perishable nature, the olives are packaged on the island of Majorca, a requirement which is justified because it is essential to:

(a) preserve the typical characteristics of the olives and safeguard their quality. The operators fully and collectively assume this responsibility, motivated by: 1. the need to conserve the traditional way of producing the product in Majorca, which makes a decisive contribution to protecting the specific characteristics of the end product. The producers have the necessary techniques and expertise to ensure the correct treatment. It must be noted that olives are a delicate and perishable fruit. Furthermore, the natural way of processing the product may cause unwanted second fermentations. The fact that Majorca is an island means that the bulk transport of olives to areas outside the production area would involve a lengthy sea crossing. The quality of the olives could thus be affected by the temperature and other environmental factors, altering the flavour, aroma and texture, which is why the repackaging and further processing of the fruit remains strictly forbidden; 2. the mere existence of two different packaging methods, within and outside of the production area, with or without the systematic control of the process, could lower confidence in the protected designation of origin;

(b) guarantee the traceability and origin of the product.

The control and certification system guarantees the origin and traceability of the olives provided they are prepared, processed and packaged in Majorca, thereby preventing possible mixing with olives of other origins.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The label of every package of olives sold under this protected designation of origin must include:

— the name of the protected designation of origin,

— the EU symbol or the words ‘protected designation of origin’, and

— a label with a sequential alphanumerical code to facilitate checks of the product's traceability.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area covers the entire island of Majorca, which is situated in the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands (Spain).

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The agricultural land suitable for producing olives covered by the protected designation of origin is limey, with an average to strong consistency, with a high proportion of coarse elements and an alkaline pH. It is very stony, which is beneficial for water management. The land is structured in horizontal layers, between which fine clay accumulates and which lend themselves perfectly to being explored by the root systems of the olive trees.

Generally cultivated on terraces, as this system responds to the curves of the land. These face south, making the most of the slopes and receiving maximum sunshine, while avoiding the cold winds from the north. The difficulty of the terrain means the olives have to be picked by hand, which allows the selection of the ideal olives.

The only water supplied is rainwater. The farmers' experience shows that irrigation has a negative effect on the characteristic texture of the olives, which is why irrigation is not allowed.

For olives of the Majorcan variety, the only rootstock used is from wild olive trees, which are ideal because of their great hardiness and they grow wild in Majorca, which makes them perfectly adapted to the environment.

Traditionally, the farms also kept sheep, which had a threefold function: to eliminate weeds, eliminate suckers and provide organic fertiliser.

The flavouring technique, which is also closely linked to the geographical area, comes from the producers' know-how. Thus the bruised green olives are flavoured by adding fennel and chilli peppers from the island — both ingredients well-known and prized by Majorcan consumers. The flavouring of the black olives with oils from the production area is further proof of how the olives are closely linked with the area.

The operators' expertise, handed down orally in most cases, comes from the cultivation and processing of olives for centuries, which ensures their quality. Thus, for example, some good cultivation methods, resulting from the farmer's experience, make it possible to reduce and avoid flawed olives not suitable for production. Furthermore, a producer's good knowledge of olives makes it possible to avoid fermentations and other alterations in the olive. All of this is achieved by adapting the processing and environmental conditions, and those of the workers and installations to the characteristics of the olives.

The farmers' specific knowledge covers grafting onto wild olive trees, developing dry plantations to give the olives a more intense flavour, and picking the fruit by hand at the optimum ripening point for each of the variants. This hand-picking makes it possible to determine the ideal time for picking the olives, which directly affects two compound types: the phenols and the volatile compounds which give the olives their characteristic flavour and aroma.

The producers' specific knowledge covers their own technique for flavouring with the ideal proportions of fennel and chilli peppers for the bruised green olives and with Majorcan oil for the natural black variety. The producers also know how to conserve the genuine characteristics of the olives by not treating the olives with alkalis to conserve their bitterness and also adjusting the pH before packaging to prevent second fermentations.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The olive variety covered is specific to the island of Majorca. It comes from the indigenous Majorcan olive variety.

The distinctive character of this protected designation of origin is mainly due to the following organoleptic characteristics: bitterness, creaminess and aroma; which give it its great reputation.

The bitterness is the distinguishing characteristic cited by most consumers of Majorcan olives. This is due to the high polyphenol content in the green and black olives. Furthermore, the traditional production method barely alters these components, which are antioxidant in character and responsible for the bitterness and astringency of the end product.

The level of unsaturated fatty acids in the Majorcan olive is over 83 % and its melting point is less than 39 °C; which means that chewing liquefies it in the mouth, giving it the characteristic unctuousness so prized by consumers.

The bruised green olives have an aroma clearly influenced by the fennel used in flavouring, a texture particular to the variety and the production method.

The distinguishing characteristics of the natural black olive mainly come from the variety and in particular its picking when it is practically overripe, alongside its flavouring with oil from the area.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The olive tree is a tree which adapts to the environmental conditions in which it is grown and to the manner in which it is grown. This means that these olives are linked to their geographical area and have distinctive characteristics due to the terrain, soil and climate of the area, the farmers' experience and historic tradition of olive growing.

The ideal conditions for the wild propagation of the rootstock in the geographical area, together with human intervention (selecting the best specimens) and evolution gave rise to the Majorcan olive variety which, with the method of cultivation and ancestral production techniques, has led to today's olive with its distinctive quality.

This distinctive quality is caused by four factors which define the causal relation between the geographical area and the characteristics of the product: the climate and soil, the specific genetic characteristics, the agronomic resources and the distinctive production method.

The climate conditions are Mediterranean, with a high number of sunshine hours, moderate to cold winters and warm, dry warm summers. With regard to the soil conditions, the soil has a high carbon content (limey). These factors give the olives a high level of polyphenols, which gives them the bitter taste and astringent trigeminal sensation so typical of the Majorcan olive.

With regard to the genetic characteristics resulting from the selection made on the basis of the farmers' empirical knowledge, an indigenous — genetically and phenotypically distinct — variety has been determined. A 2011 study by the University of the Balearic Islands accredited this with a distinctive fatty acid profile which gives them their characteristic unctuousness and flesh that is barely attached to the stone (floating stone) which makes them ideally suited for table olives.

With regard to the agronomic characteristics, we must highlight the harvesting by hand and in stages. The harvesting in stages, before winter for the whole green olives and bruised green olives and after winter for the natural black olives, means that the olives ripen on the trees, which gives each of these three variants their own typical organoleptic characteristics. Hand-picking by experienced farmers makes it possible to ensure optimal organoleptic characteristics and is responsible for the characteristic firmness of the whole green and bruised green olives.

The production method has the following differential traits: the traditional flavouring of the bruised green olives with fennel and chilli peppers from the island which gives them their characteristic aroma. In the traditional flavouring of the natural black olives, the addition of Majorcan oil increases their characteristic unctuousness. Lastly, because the olives are not processed with alkali, their natural texture barely changes, which preserves the firmness and characteristic bitterness of the whole green and bruised green variants.

Reference to the publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://www.caib.es/sacmicrofront/archivopub.do?ctrl=MCRST63ZI124069&id=124069

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.