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Olive Oil Shelf Life: Proper Storage for Longer Freshness
By Kevin
Storing high-quality olive oil correctly is just as important as its quality at purchase. What was carefully protected during harvesting, pressing and bottling, that is aromas, polyphenols, vitamin E and low acidity, can be lost within a few weeks through incorrect storage. The three biggest enemies of extra virgin olive oil are light, heat and oxygen. This article explains how long olive oil keeps, how to recognize rancid oil and how to store it properly.
Important: the best-before date says nothing about how the oil was stored. An oil that sat next to the stove for months can have lost significant quality long before that date. The harvest year on the bottle is more meaningful. If there is none, the most important information is missing.
How long does olive oil keep?
The shelf life of olive oil depends on whether the bottle is open and how it is stored:| Unopened, properly stored | 18 to 24 months from bottling |
| Opened | 3 to 6 months |
| Opened, stored warm | significantly shorter, often a few weeks |
| Full aroma | first 2 to 3 months after opening |
How do you store olive oil correctly?
Storing and keeping olive oil correctly means: dark, cool between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius, sealed airtight and in opaque packaging. These four conditions protect the oil from its main enemies of quality. An extra virgin olive oil stored consistently this way keeps its aromas, polyphenols and its low acidity considerably longer than an oil exposed to light, heat or oxygen.
Light: the invisible killer of quality
Light, and UV radiation in particular, accelerates the oxidation of olive oil considerably. Polyphenols, vitamin E and aroma compounds are sensitive to light and are broken down step by step. Oxygen and heat speed up the process by which fatty foods turn rancid, and according to the German Federal Centre for Nutrition that applies to all cooking oils. With light, UV radiation comes on top of that. This is why extra virgin olive oil belongs in opaque packaging as a rule. Dark glass bottles filter UV radiation. Stainless steel canisters protect completely. Clear glass bottles are unsuitable for high-quality olive oil.Heat: why the kitchen stove is the worst place to store it
The ideal storage temperature is between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius. Anything above that accelerates oxidation and breaks down volatile aromas. The stove, the oven and the radiator are the worst storage spots, which is exactly where olive oil most often stands.Does olive oil belong in the refrigerator?
Olive oil turns cloudy and solid in the cold because natural waxes crystallize. That is not a quality defect, quite the opposite: it shows the oil has not been refined. At room temperature it becomes clear and liquid again without any damage. For everyday use the refrigerator is still not the best place. Repeated cooling and warming stresses the structure, and condensation when you take it out brings moisture into the oil. A dark cupboard away from the stove and the window is the more practical choice. If you have an opened bottle you will not finish for a while, you can keep it cool: cold slows down rancidity, and the cloudiness it causes disappears again at room temperature.How do you recognize rancid olive oil?
Rancid olive oil smells dull, musty, or reminiscent of old nuts and crayons. The taste is bitter and sharp, but different from the pleasant pungency of a fresh oil: rancidity scratches at the back of the throat with no fruitiness before it. The simplest test: put a teaspoon in your hand, warm it briefly with your palm and smell it. Fresh olive oil smells of freshly cut grass, green tomatoes or artichoke. If it smells of nothing or of old fat, it is past its point. Rancid olive oil is not harmful to health, but it has lost its aromas and valuable compounds. For frying it is then no better than a neutral oil. How to recognize good oil when buying: Recognizing high-quality olive oil.Typical household mistakes when storing olive oil
The most common mistakes in practice: olive oil in a clear glass bottle on the windowsill, light and heat at the same time. Right next to the stove or above the oven, radiant heat around the clock. Open oil dispensers or decorative carafes, constant oxidation. Large containers that stand half full for months, because oxidation increases with every inch of air above the oil. Each of these mistakes costs quality, step by step and unnoticed.