i've always wondered about that. What makes it virgin olive oil vs. A "non-virgin" olive oil... (i don't actually remember seeing "non-virgin" olive oil anywhere.) and how does something become extra-virgin?!
And who exactly, checks the virginity of the olives, and decides which is a "normal" virgin olive, and which is an "extra" virgin?! And which olives have... Ahem... More experience than the others.
And how would an olive lose it's virginity anyway?!
On second thought, i don't want to know the answer to that last one. Some things you're just better off not knowing...
lol, here you go mark
. From wikipedia:
Virgin means the oil was produced by the use of mechanical means only, with no chemical treatment. The term virgin oil with reference to production method includes all grades of virgin olive oil, including extra virgin, virgin, ordinary virgin and lampante virgin olive oil products, depending on quality (see next section).
In countries that adhere to the standards of the international olive council (ioc),[32] as well as in australia, and under the voluntary usda labeling standards in the united states:
extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, and is of higher quality: Among other things, it contains no more than 0.8% free acidity (see below), and is judged to have a superior taste, having some fruitiness and no defined sensory defects. Extra-virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries; the percentage is far higher in the mediterranean countries (greece: 80%, italy: 65%, spain 50%).
Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, but is of slightly lower quality, with free acidity of up to 1.5%, and is judged to have a good taste, but may include some sensory defects.
refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil, but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. Oils labeled as pure olive oil or olive oil are primarily refined olive oil, with a small addition of virgin-production to give taste.
olive pomace oil is refined pomace olive oil often blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. It has a more neutral flavor than pure or virgin olive oil, making it unfashionable among connoisseurs; however, it has the same fat composition as regular olive oil, giving it the same health benefits. It also has a high smoke point, and thus is widely used in restaurants as well as home cooking in some countries.
Retail grades in the united states (usda)[edit]
as the united states is not a member, the ioc retail grades have no legal meaning there, but as of october 25, 2010, the usda established new standards for grades of olive oil and olive-pomace oil, which closely parallel the ioc standards:[33]
u.s. Extra virgin olive oil for oil with excellent flavor and odor and free fatty acid content of not more than 0.8 g per 100 g (0.8%);
u.s. Virgin olive oil for oil with reasonably good flavor and odor and free fatty acid content of not more than 2 g per 100 g (2%);
u.s. Virgin olive oil not fit for human consumption without further processing is a virgin (mechanically-extracted) olive oil of poor flavor and odor, equivalent to the ioc's lampante oil;
u.s. Olive oil is an oil mix of both virgin and refined oils;
u.s. Refined olive oil is an oil made from refined oils with some restrictions on the processing.
. 
!
