Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2021/C 400/06)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

’Bračko maslinovo ulje’

EU No: PDO-HR-02599 – 18 March 2020

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name

’Bračko maslinovo ulje’

2. Member State or Third Country

Croatia

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.5. Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)

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

When the olive oil ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is placed on the market, it has the following physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

— free fatty acids: ≤ 0,6 %

— peroxide value ≤ 15 mEq O2/kg

— K270 ≤ 0.22

— Total phenol content > 300 mg/kg of oil

— aroma of fresh olives, leaves/grass (median of fruitiness ≥ 3)

— taste of healthy and fresh olives, with bitterness and sharpness of the following intensity: median of bitterness: ≥ 3; median of sharpness: ≥ 3.

— ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ must be free of any organoleptic defects; the sum of the medians of positive organoleptic characteristics must be ≥ 10.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is produced from the indigenous Oblica variety of olive, which must account for at least 80% of the content. Other varieties may also be used, but they may not constitute more than 20 % of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’. All olives used for the production of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ must come from registered olive groves located within the production area detailed in point (4) of the Single Document.

Olives of the Oblica variety belong to the group of olives with mixed properties. The quantity of oil in the fruit varies from 17 % to 22 %.

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All the stages in the production of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’:

1. olive growing,

2. harvesting and transport of the olives,

3. processing of the olives into oil,

4. storage of the oil,

must take place in the geographical area referred to in point 4.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is placed on the market in packaging made of a material that is inert to oil: containers made of dark glass, dark plastic, metal or ceramics, lined with a food contact material, as mandated by applicable legislation. Producers are free to choose a bottling facility they consider to be the best on the basis of their professional judgment.

‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is sensitive to external influences (light, temperature and air), therefore any factor which could have a negative impact on its characteristics before packaging must be avoided.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

When placing ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ on the market in any type of packaging, the name ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ must stand out more clearly than any other inscription in terms of the size, type and colour of its lettering (typography). The size of the producer’s inscription must not exceed 70 % of the size of the product name.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ may only be produced on the island of Brač. For administrative purposes, the island of Brač belongs to Split-Dalmatia County, and encompasses the town of Supetar and the municipalities of Postira, Pučišća, Selca, Bol, Nerežišća, Milna and Sutivan. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel to the north, from the island of Šolta by the Split Gates to the west, and from the island of Hvar by the Hvar Channel to the south.

5. Link with the geographical area

The specific chemical and organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ are influenced by a number of factors, such as the geological and climatic conditions on Brač, which is the highest island in the Adriatic, the predominance of the indigenous Oblica variety, which grows well in the defined production area, and the skill of olive growers on the island of Brač in cultivating olive trees and transforming the fruit into olive oil.

Brač is the highest island in the Adriatic (778 m) and has a total surface area of 395 km2. There are three different geomorphological areas on the island: a lower-lying coastal belt (max. altitude 170 m), a central plateau (up to 400 m), and a higher-lying mountainous area. According to the Köppen climate classification, the coastal belt of Brač belongs to the Csa type of climate, which is characterised by dry, hot summers and short, mild winters, and is also known as the olive-growing climate. The average temperature is 8- 8,4 °C in January and February, and 25,4-25,7 °C in July and August. Brač is located in the sunniest part of the Adriatic, with some 2 600 hours of sunshine per year. This is conducive to the cultivation of olives, which require a lot of sunshine, especially in the period of ripening and accumulation of oil in the fruit. Average rainfall between July and September is 18,7 mm in July, 30,4 mm in August and 81,2 mm in September, which increases the proportion of total phenolic compounds because the olive trees do not receive a large amount of water while the fruit is ripening. These climatic factors, above all the high temperature, the UV radiation and the low precipitation, which are typical for the island of Brač, cause environmental stress that is conducive to secondary metabolism in olive trees and determines the specific chemical and organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ described in point 3.2.

In order to increase the area of land for cultivation as much as possible, the local inhabitants cultivated the naturally occurring pieces of land by clearing, digging and fertilisation. Terracing has traditionally been the main way in which people have shaped the land to create new areas for cultivation. By cutting into the terrain and building terraces, man has reduced the production area, but in doing so retained the fertile soil and enabled the land to be cultivated. Soil cultivated in this way is best suited for growing olives, and olive groves on the island of Brač are located on terraces.

Olive trees have been present on the island of Brač for more than 2 000 years. As olives have historically been the most important crop on the island of Brač, they have come to be a byword for the island, whose most important variety of olive – Oblica – is called Bračka [the Brač olive] in the World Catalogue of Olive varieties. The people of Brač have adapted their environment to the needs of cultivating olives and selected Oblica as the best variety. Through planting and grafting onto wild olive trees, it has become the dominant variety on the island, accounting for more than 80 % of the olives used to produce ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’.

The Oblica variety has been chosen as the predominant variety on the island of Brač on account of its favourable response to environmental stress (high temperatures and lack of water), precisely because in those conditions the Oblica variety increases the proportion of total phenolic compounds while the fruit is ripening, thereby defining the typical organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’.

The high quality of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is its distinguishing feature. Physico-chemical and organoleptic analyses of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ show that it is an extra virgin olive oil with a low proportion of free fatty acids (≤ 0,6%) and a low peroxide value, an aroma of fresh olives and leaves/grass with a median of fruitiness of ≥ 3, and balanced bitterness and sharpness with the following values: median of bitterness ≥ 3, median of sharpness ≥ 3. ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ is free of any organoleptic defects; the sum of the medians of positive organoleptic characteristics is 10 or higher.

These organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ are the result of the high content of phenolic compounds, which are natural antioxidants that influence the quality of the olive oil and its oxidative stability. The proportion and composition of phenolic compounds depend on agronomic, climatic, soil and technological factors, such as the variety of olive, the climatic conditions, the degree of ripeness of the fruit and the production process. The total quantity of phenolic compounds in ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ exceeds 300 mg/kg of oil.

The most important human factors influencing the specificity of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ are the choice of harvesting time, the way in which the olives are transported and processed into oil and the storage conditions. The harvest on Brač begins in late September or early October, when the olive fruits are only tinged with darker hues and are still firm and therefore better suited to being transported to the oil mill. Harvesting olives at this stage of ripeness significantly reduces the oil yield, but it guarantees the high quality of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’. The short period of time between harvesting and processing, careful transport, and the particular process used to transform the olives, in which the temperature of the olive paste must be below 27 °C, all have a positive impact on the specific chemical and organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’. Thanks to good storage practice, the oil retains those characteristics until it is sold and consumed. Research has shown that this approach to oil production gives ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ its distinguishing features, such as a low value for free fatty acids and a low peroxide value, a high value of total phenolic compounds, balanced bitterness and sharpness and pronounced fruitiness.

The uninterrupted production of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’ since the sixteenth century and the constant honing of agricultural techniques and the technology for transforming olives into oil account for its renown, which is reflected in the numerous awards for quality that the product has received in the past and still receives today.

In conclusion, the interaction between the above-mentioned specific features of the geographical area and the human factors stemming from them, the genetic properties and the adaptation of the predominant Oblica variety of olive to the environmental conditions have a decisive influence on the specific physico-chemical and organoleptic characteristics of ‘Bračko maslinovo ulje’.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

https://poljoprivreda.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/hrana/zoi-zozp-zts/dokumenti-zoi-zozp-zts/SPECIFIKACIJA_BRACKO_MASLINOVO_ULJE.pdf

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