One litre of olive oil weighs approximately 0.916 kilograms. We are used to a litre weighing one kilo, as this is the weight of water. But this is not the case with all liquids; there are some that weigh more and others that weigh less in a litre of liquid. This is the case of virgin olive oil, which has an approximate density of 0.91 kg/l.
So one litre of olive oil weighs 916 grams and 5 litres of olive oil weighs 4.58 kilograms. This is because the density of the oil is lower than that of water, which is why the oil floats on water.
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Does temperature affect the weight of olive oil?
The weight of a litre of olive oil can change depending on the temperature, if you weigh an oil that is at 200º the weight of a litre would be 800 grams and if you weigh a litre of oil at 0º the weight would be 929 grams. It is also thought that a better quality oil weighs more than a lower quality oil, but this is a myth, the difference in weight does not say which oil is better than the other, as the weights of the different types of oil are similar.
What does the density of olive oil depend on?
It may depend on the type of olive used to make the olive oil, as some varieties of olives produce a denser olive oil than others. Another factor that can affect the density of olive oil is the production phase of the product and the transformation of the fruit, which is due to multiple factors that develop during these processes. And lastly, the aforementioned climate and environmental conditions can also have a slight effect on its density.
Knowing the density of olive oil is very important so that you cannot be swindled with products that are not 100% olive oil and that may only contain a part of it mixed with other products. It is usually recommended when buying olive oil in bulk. Because initially in supermarkets where olive oil is bought in small quantities, the establishments themselves have checked whether the products are really what they claim to be. Because if a user finds an olive oil that is not 100% the reputation that is affected is both the reputation of the establishment for having bad products, and the brand of the product that has that defect.
There are several ways to check this, first you can weigh a litre of oil at a temperature between 16 and 17 degrees Celsius, the olive oil should weigh 0.917 kilograms or 917 grams which is the same. But this may vary a little depending on the olive variety it comes from or the stage of production and transformation of the olive oil. So another way to check if it is olive oil is to put olive oil and water in a transparent container. If this is done, in principle, if it is olive oil it should be on top of the water and if it contains another product, denser or less dense, several layers will be visible to the naked eye.