The member of the Technical-Scientific Committee for the xylella emergency of the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies spoke at the workshop ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma on olive oil. "The rapidity of spread of the bacterium does not allow us to exclude its passage to other regions". 'Oliver' was presented at the event, an experimental system which in 90 seconds is capable of detecting even minimal adulterations and counterfeits of 'yellow gold'
"We will have to learn to live with the disease of olive trees, because eradication is now impossible. Growers are experiencing moments of great difficulty, but they must understand that if all the measures for the containment of the bacterium and the vector are not implemented immediately, the situation could escalate even further in a short time”. It is the message that Stephanie Loreti, member of the Technical-Scientific Committee set up by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies for the xylella emergency, spoke at the workshop EVOlution: technologies at the service of the olive oil supply chain, just concluded at theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. The event is part of the TIPITEC project, promoted by the agency LazioInnova of the Lazio Region and five Roman universities, of which the Campus Bio-Medico is the leader.
"Scholars who are working on the disease – explained Loreti in his speech to workshop -sThey are extremely pessimistic about the speed with which the disease has spread: in April 2014 there were 8 thousand hectares affected, plus 5 outbreaks around Lecce. But already in July 2014 the affected hectares had become 23 thousand. And the disease is always increasing: according to the EU, currently, Lecce is no longer an eradication area, but a containment area. Sure, none of us have a crystal ball, but the The risk that the disease could spread beyond the Apulian regional borders is very concrete, because this type of bacteriosis has dissemination methods that make it difficult to stop once it arrives".
However, the expert reassured that the epidemic will have a impact on production, but not on the quality of oil and olives. "The only way to prevent is to follow the indications of the MIPAAF”, he repeated, adding that "to date, attention should be paid above all to the vector insect, the so-called 'spittle', because it is the main element of transmission of the bacterium. There are various ways to fight it. It is a priority to intervene with agronomic measures to try to balance the plants: adequate pruning, aeration interventions on the ground, constant monitoring”. On the other hand, cases like the one recorded in Puglia for olive trees had only occurred once before in similar proportions, many years ago in California. But US researchers, despite heavy investments, have not yet succeeded in eradicating the disease. Also for this reason, the member of the MIPAAF Technical-Scientific Committee concluded his report by recalling that "American scholars who have been working on these issues on grapevines and citrus fruits for years argue that one is not able to force nature to arrive at solutions in a short time. It's impossible even with research. There are no miraculous remedies, especially with bacteriosis".
A cry of alarm also received by the producers. “I followed the intervention of the MIPAAF expert with great attention and concern - Said Loriana Abbruzzese, President of Pandolea, National Association of Women Producers and Technicians of Extra Virgin Olive Oil – because, in reality, all regions can be involved. My company is located in the Marche region, therefore not too far from the affected area. Although so far we have not been given specific indications to follow, we are monitoring the situation and we trust in the progress of scientific research to limit the damage or in any case have useful instructions for prevention".
Among the most interesting ideas of the meeting, the presentation of a experimental device able to perceive possible counterfeits of the authentic extra virgin olive oil Made in Italy. Not surprisingly renamed Oliver from its creators, the engineers of the Sensory Systems Electronics Unit of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma coordinated by Prof. Giorgio Pennazza, the system is portable and allows for considerable cost savings compared to traditional analysis techniques. It takes about 90 seconds and 4 milliliters of oil to get the best results. Furthermore, Oliver can also be used by non-expert operators and is able to perceive that something is wrong in the sample analyzed up to a minimum threshold of 5 percent compared to the total volume. “The defense of Italian quality products, particularly in the agro-food sector – underlined the Eng. Marco Santonico, one of Oliver's 'fathers' –, has now become a national priority. The 'Italian product' label, in fact, increasingly hides sophistication even harmful to health, certainly not comparable to the typical excellence of our country. It is therefore more necessary today than ever to introduce quick, simple, cheap and effective control methods to prevent these manipulations. Oliver tries to respond to this need".
The emphasis on the value of our extra virgin olive oil was placed by Prof. Maurizio Caciotta, Ordinary of Measurements at the University of Roma Tre, according to which "the European Union has given a definition of extra virgin olive oil that does not satisfy us and that penalizes our country a lot. Perhaps it was done to allow companies from countries that do not have the production culture of extra virgin olive oil to enter the market. Today, this allows the presence in supermarkets of oils that comply with European standards, but which are not, in terms of 'feeling', comparable to the extra virgin olive oil traditionally required by the Mediterranean diet. They are 'industrial' oils, those that cost 5-6 euros per litre. Italian producers of high-quality blends complain that the out-of-pocket cost of producing real extra virgin olive oil is no less than 17-20 euros per litre, which on the counter also means 45-50 euros per liter. For this reason, today, high quality EVO blends are purchased almost exclusively outside Italy, especially in the USA. In a market where there has been no downward 'pollution'".
The speech of the award-winning concluded the reports Chef Fabio Campoli, founder of the Circle of Gourmets, inviting us to look more confidently at a 'modern' use of oil in the kitchen. “Our gastronomic history is important – explained Campoli – but we must be prepared not to criticize the innovations. Let's focus on the little but good, changing cooking techniques, interpreting extra virgin olive oil as a food with a dual function: heat conductor and condiment. However, you never need too much, as was taught years ago. A little is enough, but of quality”. On the criteria for choosing quality restaurants, Campoli specified that “it is not said that a good dish can be healthy. We cooks have been going on television a lot lately, but perhaps it would be useful if we simply went back to being cooks, avoiding improvising to do something else”. And on the jungle of online reviews of clubs: “Driven by the media wave, today everyone tends to improvise food and wine journalists. Thus, sometimes, one has to deal with hasty judgments or unjustly penalizing reviews. For this reason, I would like to say that the writer, before giving an opinion, would do well to think a little more about it".
