One can discuss the special qualities in the colour and flavour of Styrian pumpkin seed oil for hours, as the impressions on the palate and nose can be differing and varied. One thing should be said; it is immediately recognizable when the pumpkin seeds were not roasted gently enough or when shelled pumpkin seeds have been pressed.
Sensory Qualities
A duet of deep green tones and ruddy overtones - this is how Styrian pumpkin seed oil P.G.I. presents itself when it is swiveled and spread on a white plate. A combination of nutty and fine roasted aromas, bringing to mind fresh bread crust, excites the palate.
The colouration of Styrian pumpkin seed oil arises from secondary plant compounds including: chlorophyll, flavonoids and carotinoids. The plant compounds found in the pumpkin seed's skin, are released during oil pressing and give the pumpkin seed oil its dark green colouration with its light red shimmer. The red shimmer is enhanced by roasting the seeds which also adds the typical roasted aroma.
The oil presser's experience is essential, on the one hand, to obtain the right colouration, while on the other hand giving the oil the proper roasted aroma, without lending it a burnt taste.
Tip: When pumpkin seed oil has a brownish shimmer instead of red, then the pumpkin seeds were most likely roasted too quickly and the oil may have a light burnt smell and/or taste.
What makes Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I. different from other pumpkin seed oils?
The provenance of the pumpkin seeds is one of the most important aspects which sets Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I. apart from the rest. Most pumpkin seed oils are pressed from seeds grown all of the world, and so, it is impossible to trace the origins of the seeds used in the oil. Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I is different, each bottle of pumpkin seed oil is individually numbered on the export seal so that consumers can trace the origins of their oil, from farm to press, in the region of Protected Geographic Indication.
A pumpkin seed oil that has been mixed with other vegetable oils cannot call itself a pumpkin seed oil anymore, but must be labeled as an oil mixture or a salad oil.
A pumpkin seed oil without its the typical aroma and where the colouration tends toward brown has nothing to do with the genuine quality of Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I. The use of shelled, foreignly grown pumpkin seeds and the seeds being too hotly roasted results in the poor quality of many pumpkin seed oils.
This much is clear, only Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.G.I. with the excise stamp or the blue and yellow EU logo, guarantees that the bottle is filled with 100 % Styrian pumpkin seed oil, from the first seed pressing, and the commitment of our producers to fulfill the high standards of this product.
Fotocredits: Pixelmaker.at; Stefan Kristoferitsch
