Tag: Acid number

According to international standards, extra virgin olive oil, the highest grade, must have a free acidity of 0.8% or less, demonstrating how the free acid value directly correlates with product quality and freshness. This critical metric provides an essential window into the chemical state of fats and oils across various industries.

The pH scale is specifically designed to measure the hydrogen ion concentration in water-based solutions. Because oil is a non-aqueous, hydrophobic substance, it cannot have a high pH in the traditional chemical sense, or any pH at all.