Jaén - The 17th edition of the expert course on virgin olive oil tasting from the University of Jaén was recently launched. Some 35 students are participating this year, 20 of whom are on an IOC grant. The Executive Director, Abdellatif Ghedira, and the Head of the Technology and Environment Unit, Abdelkrim Adi, attended the opening ceremony. The Executive Director commended the university's efforts in this important training endeavour.
"One of the objectives of the IOC is precisely to improve quality through training," said the Executive Director. "I don't know anyone who has taken this course today and hasn't found work. As for the rector of the UJA, he described the course as "the best in the world". He pointed out that the University's intention for the next edition of the course was to provide training in English.
This year, students will learn the theoretical bases of sensory analysis and methodology, and apply them to virgin olive oils from a theoretical and practical point of view, by analysing the factors and positive and negative attributes that define the sensory quality of oils and their relationship with cultivation and production processes, as well as other general physical and chemical parameters of quality control.
The course will be led by Sebastián Sánchez Villasclaras and Leopoldo Martínez Nieto, under the technical direction of Marino Uceda Ojeda and the coordination of Alberto J. Moya López. It is structured into 6 independent modules of about 55 hours each.
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