Does the Color of Olive Oil Reflect Its Quality? Green or Gold?

  • By David McCoper

Published: Tuesday, Jul 17, 2025

One of the first things we usually notice when we pick up a bottle of olive oil is its color. Is it a vivid shade of green? Or a bright yellow? However, does color really indicate the quality of the oil? Is yellow always less appealing and green always better?

 

This article will discuss how olive oil color is determined, if it has any bearing on quality, and what to look for as a consumer to make the best decision.

 

What Color Can Tell You and Can't Tell You
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Olive oil's hue can provide some visual cues, but it is not a reliable way to determine its quality. Natural pigments, mostly chlorophyll (green) and carotenoids (yellow-orange), give it its look. The amounts of these pigments vary according to:

 

Harvest time for the olive variety

Level of ripeness, extraction technique, and even storage circumstances

So yeah, yellow doesn't always imply "worse," and green doesn't always mean "better." Depending on the oil's composition and manufacturing process, both may be extraordinary.

What Influences Olive Oil's Color?
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1- Early or Late Harvest Time?

Early-harvest green olive oils have a higher chlorophyll content, which gives them a vibrant green color. Higher polyphenol content is reflected in these oils' tendency to be stronger, more bitter, and slightly peppery.

 

Ripe olives harvested later have higher levels of carotenoids, which gives their oils a golden or yellow hue. Their taste tends to be fruitier and softer. But this only represents a new profile; it's not a quality downgrade.

 

2- Olive Varieties: Potential for Natural Color

Even when processed in the same way, different olives yield different colors of oil.

  • Golden oils are typically produced from arbequina.
  • Green or yellow-green oils are frequently produced from Ayvalık or Memecik.
  • The Greek cultivar Koroneiki usually produces vivid green oils.

Therefore, genetics plays a role in some aspects of color.

 

3- Conditions of Processing and Storage

Light and oxygen have an impact on chlorophyll. It can deteriorate and lose its green tinge if exposed to excessive light, as happens when it is kept in transparent glass. This emphasizes the significance of appropriate packing and storage, although it does not necessarily imply that the oil has gone bad.

Three Typical Myths Regarding the Color of Olive Oil
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"The greener, the better."

Not all the time. Color refers to pigment rather than quality or antioxidants.

 

 "Yellow oil is spoiled."

Not true. Yellow could suggest a different type or a later harvest. Taste and smell, not color, are the ways that spoilage is identified.

 

"You can test quality by looking at color."

In fact, experts steer clear of the oil's color when tasting it. To avoid prejudice, formal tastings are conducted via blue-tinted glass.

What Does Quality Actually Mean?
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Look beyond color to get a true sense of olive oil quality:

  • Positive indicators include label words like "early harvest," "cold-pressed," or "unfiltered."
  • Level of acidity: The acidity of premium extra virgin olive oils is less than 0.8%.
  • Stronger antioxidant power is associated with higher amounts of polyphenol (250 ppm and above).
  • Taste profile: Fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency will all be harmoniously displayed by fresh, well-balanced oils.

We See Past Color at Garisar

Our goal at Garisar is to conserve the olive's entire natural power without needless intervention, in addition to producing exquisite oil.

Early in the season, we gather Arbequina olives and press them cold—below 24°C.
The quality is always the same: low acidity, high polyphenols, and a taste profile that speaks for itself. The color may change depending on the year, sometimes becoming greener and other times more golden.

According to independent laboratory testing, Garisar Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil has more than 600 parts per million of polyphenols, which is far more than what is required by international antioxidant requirements.

Conclusion: While color attracts the eye, quality appeals to the palate.

Although it can be easy to judge olive oil based just on appearance, appearances can be deceiving. The olive's story—how it was cultivated, harvested, pressed, and preserved—is what truly makes it great.

Gold or green can both be very good. Don't rely solely on color for guidance.
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Poliphenol  (+600 ppm) 

Acidity (Max 0.2 Mg)

Garisar High In Polyphenol Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

NYIOOC Gold Medal Winner 
BUY NOW

Poliphenol  (+600 ppm)

Acidity (Max 0.2 Mg)

Garisar High In Polyphenol Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

NYIOOC Gold Medal Winner 
BUY NOW