Imagine you enter the olive oil isle at the grocery store. You’re instantly thrown aback by the wide range of options and prices: How do you choose which bottle will keep your olive oil freshest, longest? The answer lies in paying special attention to the packaging.
The ideal container should be made of a material that can shield your olive oil from light and oxygen as much as possible, ensuring that you’re getting the taste, nutrition, and freshness you paid for.
Unlike other cooking oils, extra virgin olive oil is like fruit juice: squeezed fresh and bottled quickly to preserve its natural flavors and antioxidants. This process makes it more susceptible to the elements, which can lower an olive oils’ shelf life and lead to a “rancid” or spoiled flavor.
According to a 2014 UC Davis study, the three most common types of olive oil packaging – plastic, glass, and tin – offer various advantages and disadvantages. Here’s why that bottle matters more than you think.
Plastic:
Plastic bottles are common in supermarkets and, while they do have some conveniences, they fall short when it comes to keeping olive oil fresh.
PROS: Plastic =
- Cheap
- Light and easy-to-transport
- Doesn’t break easily
CONS: Plastic =
- Slightly porous: Allows oxygen in
- Allows light to easily pass through, aging the oil faster and diminishing its flavor and nutritional value
- Often unsafe: Small molecules from plastic can migrate into the oil, potentially affecting quality and safety
Thus, while a packaging material like plastic may be cheap and handy, it compromises on protecting your olive oil and lacks that premium feel and protection.
Glass:
Glass is a traditional choice for olive oil packaging. While better for your olive oil than plastic, it does have some disadvantages.
PROS: Glass =
- Not porous (a solid glass bottle with a good cap will keep oxygen from seeping in through the walls)
- Chemically inert (it won’t leach any substances into the oil)
- Reusable
CONS: Glass =
- See-through: Allows UV rays to enter through the bottle and affect the olive oil quality and freshness – no matter whether it is clear or dark-tinted
- Fragile: Shatters easily and lacks durability
- Heavy and expensive to ship and recycle
In the end, glass is a safe option for your olive oil, but it falls short on protecting its contents from damaging UV rays.
Metal and Aluminum:
According to the study, metal and aluminum tins provide the greatest defense against the elements.
PROS: Tins =
- Opaque: No sunlight or UV rays can penetrate a tin or aluminum container, which means the oil inside is safe from light-induced damage and oxidation
- Airtight: A good tin or aluminum bottle, especially with a proper seal, prevents oxygen from sneaking in and reacting with the oil
- An inert enamel lining protects the oil from any aluminum ions or “tinny” flavors
- Light, durable, and easy-to-transport
- Recyclable
CONS: Tins =
- You shouldn’t reuse metal tins – limiting them to a single use can help prevent degradation over time
While you can’t see through the tin, you can trust that the oil inside is fresh and well-protected.
The La Tourangelle Difference:
When it comes to keeping extra virgin olive oil fresh, flavorful, and healthy, packaging is not something to overlook. At La Tourangelle, we’ve known the importance of packaging quality oils in quality tins. The science from UC Davis's Olive Center (2014) makes it clear that metal packaging (like tin or aluminum) offers superior protection for olive oil quality compared to glass or plastic.
At La Tourangelle, we want you to experience that rich, aromatic, just-pressed flavor as intended, and packaging in tin helps make that possible. As a bonus, our tins are fully recyclable tins offer a premium, old-world charm that looks great on your countertop.
So, the next time you’re shopping for olive oil, take a moment to consider the packaging. That simple tin might just be the unsung hero keeping your favorite olive oil fresher, longer.
Reference:
UC Davis Olive Center (2014). Packaging Influences on Olive Oil Quality: A Review of the Literature (Report by Selina Wang, Xueqi Li, Rayza Rodrigues, and Dan Flynn, August 2014). Pages 1-4.