Feasibility of Using Secondary Attributes in Sensory Analysis to Characterize Protected Designation of Origin of Olive Oil

Protected denomination of origin (PDO) designations require tools to enable differentiation, as each PDO aims to establish its own distinct and exclusive identity. This necessity becomes particularly challenging in those regions where PDO territories are very close to each other, as is the situation with the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) PDOs in Catalonia. The proximity of these territories can make it difficult to perceive the uniqueness of each area solely on the basis of the evaluation of a few general sensory descriptors. This study examines whether the frequency of use of different secondary attributes, established by the Official Tasting Panel of Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia, can effectively differentiate PDOs. Thus, a total of 1330 EVOOs from the five Catalan PDOs, produced during the 2012–2020 period, have been analyzed by the Official Tasting Panel of Virgin Olive Oils of Catalonia. The results of the statistical analysis, using this historical database of samples, show that the frequency of the attributes does not occur randomly, but is significantly influenced by the production area and the olive cultivars associated with each PDO. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating specific secondary descriptors into the bidding specifications of PDOs, which can be a useful discriminant tool.