Category and intended use
The requested grade and application establish context, but do not replace measurable acceptance criteria.
QUALITY / DOCUMENTATION
Quality you can discuss in measurable terms.
A grade name alone is not a complete buying specification. Share the limits, market constraints and documents that matter to your process.
THE ACCEPTANCE TARGET
A buyer specification makes “quality” operational.
It combines category, intended use, analytical and sensory criteria, regulatory context, documentation and any contract-specific limits.
Limits and methods
Record target values, units, test methods or applicable standard and identify which points are mandatory.
Market and contract
Destination rules, customer policies, certification needs and contract terms may add requirements beyond a category name.
QUALITY PARAMETERS
Read the parameter in context—not in isolation.
These parameters help buyers turn a category request into measurable acceptance criteria.
Free acidity
A chemical measure linked to the condition of the fruit and oil; applicable category limits depend on the governing standard and market.
Peroxide value
An indicator of primary oxidation. It should be considered with storage history, timing and other analytical results.
K232 and K270
Ultraviolet absorbance values used in olive-oil conformity and oxidation assessment; interpretation depends on category and method.
Sensory classification
For virgin olive oils, trained panel assessment forms part of category context alongside chemistry.
Residues and contaminants
Buyer and destination requirements may cover pesticide residues, mineral oil hydrocarbons, plasticisers or other risk-specific analyses.
COA / LOT EVIDENCE
A certificate of analysis is useful when it is specific and traceable.
A COA reports test results for an identified sample or lot. Buyers should check identity, dates, methods, units, limits and how the document relates to the proposed supply.
What it can answer
Which parameters were tested, what results were recorded and whether they align with the stated target.
What it cannot answer alone
A COA does not by itself establish sampling representativeness, full traceability, certification validity or future lot conformity.
FROM SAMPLE TO DOCUMENT SET
Keep the evidence connected to the oil being evaluated.
Sampling
Agree who samples, from where, when, by which method and how the sample is sealed and identified.
Lot identification
Use consistent references across sample, COA, specification, commercial documents and the proposed supply.
Traceability concepts
Origin and movement records help connect the lot to relevant upstream and transaction information.
Documentation
The required quality, origin, certification, transport and destination documents depend on the transaction and must be confirmed.