How to check whether the Olive oil is fit for consumption or not?

Question

How to check whether the Olive oil is fit for consumption or not? The oil is in a bottle and doesn't have any froth.

EDIT 1:

The oil is about 1 and a half years old. I kept it in a capped bottle. I didn't do anything to the oil. Haven't eaten it for quite a long time now.

Adding references to the answers will be more helpful.

Can you also include some background information? Is the reason you are asking because you've had it for a long long time. If so how long have you had it for? Or did you inadvertantly do something to the olive oil. In which case can you elaborate what happened? — Jay, Jan 26 '12 at 16:45

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 26 '12 at 17:05

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Olive oil doesn't suddenly go rancid (unlike butter in which this process is pretty quick), but its taste deteriorates with time. AFAIK it happens primarily due to oxidation, not bacteria or fungi, and there are no dangerous/poisonous byproducts.

I have a bottle of olive oil which I opened about a year ago and it tastes noticeably different from fresh oil (not too pungent to throw it out though).

answered Jan 26 '12 at 17:05

Mischa Arefiev

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Mischa, thanks, but posting some references to your claims would be more helpful. – Aquarius_Girl Feb 06 '12 at 10:16
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@AnishaKaul: sure: http://web.archive.org/web/20071011140518/oliveoilsource.com/olive_oil_storage.htm – Mischa Arefiev Feb 07 '12 at 10:33

score 4 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:33

Anisha, Derobert has started a community wiki question/answer in regards to shelf life here: How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?

Another good source is stilltasty: http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17801

The olive oil can be stored for 1.5-2 years. This is dependant on the temperature of where you are at and where you stored the olive oil(how much sunlight it's gotten).

However, it is relatively easy to tell if it's still good by smell. When fats go bad, they go rancid. Take a look at this source if you have trouble detecting rancidity: http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/good-olive-oils-gone-bad/8900

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 26 '12 at 23:05

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You can check by smell and taste. If it smells like olive oil and tastes like olive oil, it's bound to be olive oil (and fit for consumption).

Olive oil should be kept airtight and out of the sunlight.

Where I live, (some) people bury barrels for years and enjoy the aged oil. Probably a bit like aging wine.

answered Jan 26 '12 at 23:05

BaffledCook

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Where exactly do you live? What would be the benefit of "aging" oil? Nothing come to mind for me. – Jay Jan 27 '12 at 14:24
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I live in Spain and there is absolutely no benefit in aging oil that I know of. The people that told me about it said it was a very smooth taste, though. – BaffledCook Jan 27 '12 at 16:08

How to check whether the Olive oil is fit for consumption or not?

EDIT 1:

3 Answers3