International Olive Council

The IOC recommend the application and is responsible for drawing up standards for olive oils and table olives and management guides for industry as well as for developing chemical and sensory testing methods for the same products and for running a recognition scheme for testing laboratories and tasting panels

The International Olive Council is the world’s only international intergovernmental organisation in the field of olive oil and table olives. It was set up in Madrid, Spain, in 1959, under the auspices of the United Nations. It used to be known as the International Olive Oil Council or IOOC until 2006, when its name was changed. The Council is a decisive player in contributing to the sustainable and responsible development of olive growing and it serves as a world forum for discussing policymaking issues and tackling present and future challenges.

The IOC is an international organisation made up of 44 countries (28 of which are members through the European Union) accounting for 91% of the table olives and 96% of the olive oil produced in the world.

Standards and Methods for the Sensory Analysis of Olive Oil

COI/T.20/Doc 5

Glass for Olive Oil Tasting
The purpose of this standard is to describe the characteristics of the glass intended for use in the organoleptic analysis of edible oils (odour, taste, flavour).
In addition, it describes the adapted heating unit needed to reach and maintain the right temperature for this analysis.

COI/T.20/Doc 4

Sensory Analysis General Basic Vocabulary
The purpose of this standard is to assemble the general terms used in sensory analysis and to give their definitions

COI/T.20/Doc 15

Method for the Organoleptic Assessment of Virgin Olive Oil
The purpose of this international method is to determine the procedure for assessing the organoleptic characteristics of virgin olive oil and to establish the method for its classification on the basis of those characteristics.

COI/T.20/Doc 6

Guide for the installation of a test room
The test room is designed to provide the panel participating in the sensory tests with a suitable, comfortable, standardised environment which facilitates work and helps to improve the repeatability and reproducibility of the results.