Judges Panel

alfredo marasciulo, expert taster and panel leader of tasting committees of the university of bari and of the italian consortium for organic products (cibi), both recognized by the italian ministry of agriculture. he collaborates with numerous international competitions and is the panel leader of some of the most prestigious competitions held in italy including the biol prize for several years and the ercole olivario for the 2021-2022 period. consultant for the quality improvement of many farms and oil mills.

mariem gharsallaoui is an engineer in the olive oil process. she obtained her doctorate in olive oil chemistry.

she has been a permanent researcher at the institute of the olive tree since 2001 where she is responsible for two research projects “extraction systems and exploiting by-products” and “olive oil quality and voice recovery.

mariem is also the responsible in a national innovation research project “new ecological process of olive oil extraction: qualitative, economic, and environmental impact” and member of the regional committee” sensitization oil mills operators” and also in the national chemistry committee for the revision of the commercial standard for olive oil and pomace olive oil.

she has taught several university courses such as refining processes of vegetable oils, olive oil extraction process, sensorial analysis, quality tools, and she was a supervision of several ends of study projects, masters and doctoral theses. she is also author and coauthor of scientific indexed and impacted papers in international journals.

she has her master degree from the university of jaén as an international expert in virgin olive oil tasting under the guidance of olive oil council and she is jury member in the panel of several international competitions: in japan, italy, germany, tunisia, canada, dubai, australia. she is a tasting panel leader and the creator of an innovative panel made up solely of young blind people.

mariem is also organizing and training workshops and courses for professionals in the field of olive oil. she is consultant for the accreditation of chemical and sensory analysis laboratories.

she is a co-founder of the international mountain olive tree festival.she is preparing and activating a class in a television program to raise awareness and educate about fatty substances.

dr. ibrahim sabouni, get his phd. degree in plant physiology from the university of granada, spain. he is specialist in pedology, soil fertility and plant biology from the university of granada, specialist in olive growing and oil technology from the higher school of agronomy etsiam: university of cordoba spain in 2002. currently holds the position of top expert & top consultant (smart expert management international academy london uk: business consulting & engineering project management) , advisor president of jouf university since 2014 until today saudi arabia.

supervisor of the olive oil research center of jouf university saudi arabia since 2013 and professor of the faculty of science jouf university saudi arabia 2013. he was doctor researcher, member of the research group (olive region areae mediterranean) university granada spain and assembly of andalusia, expert consultant and trainer for gruppo volontario civil onlus (gvc) bologna italy (olive plantation and olive industry) both environmental expert and member of the team of ecf experts ec framework contract lot 1 rural development italy rome between 2005 and 2007.

he is an olive oil taster: spain 2002 to 2011, ksa international olive fair since 2013, dubaiooc since 2021. he occupies several international projects concerning olive plantation installation of crushing units: morocco, spain, france, tunis, saudi arabia, italy, jordan, turkey, sultanate oman, pakistan, china, india, korea……. major scientific research projects: number 15. he has several scientific publications, books (24), also participates in several international congresses.

dr. juana ortega membrive is an influential figure in the olive oil industry. her accomplishments span from serving as an official of the superior facultative corps of health institutions to being the president of the extra virgin olive land association. her deep understanding of pharmacy and chemistry, coupled with her master in food safety, gives her a distinct edge in her profession.

juana began her journey as an auditor of food companies for the health administration. subsequently, she utilized her acquired knowledge to influence positive change as an advisor for the development of protected designation of origin (pdo) olive oil and as a coordinator of food safety programs for pdo.

her comprehensive knowledge of the industry led to her specialization in olive oil tasting, where she then made her mark as a trainer of quality programs for pdo of virgin olive oil. her dedicated service culminated in her being appointed as the president of the extra virgin olive land association.

a staunch advocate for the industry's betterment, juana also holds membership in the association defenders of extra virgin olive oil. this commitment extends to her prolific writing, with a wide range of publications focusing on areas such as the differentiation of virgin olive oils, treatment of by-products of olive and oil washing water, and the implementation of haccp systems in the manufacturing industry of virgin olive oil.

juana's involvement in research has been instrumental in contributing to the olive oil quality improvement plan, led by the ministry of agriculture and fisheries of the junta de andalucía. she is part of the esteemed research group cv 110 at the university of granada, where her research focuses on the energy and chemical use of by-products from the production of virgin olive oil.

as the director of the research group in biomolecules of the technical department of tierra de olivos, juana oversees studies on the evolution of alkyl esters and the acidic profile in the maturation phase of virgin olive oil, among others.

juana’s significant contribution to the sector extends to her management of the masoliva group, which explores the extraction of chemical principles from virgin olive oil extraction by-products. her relentless pursuit of innovation and knowledge makes her a true leader in her field.

throughout her illustrious career, juana ortega membrive's comprehensive expertise and unwavering dedication have made her an integral part of the olive oil industry, shaping its future while preserving its rich history.

matteo bonoli graduated in 2004 in food science and technology at the faculty of agriculture of the university of bologna. in 2008 he obtained a phd in food sciences and carried out research at the department in the following years. since 2010 he has been working as quality and r&d manager at the caber srl company in granarolo emilia (bo).

he is the author and co-author of 12 international scientific publications.

 in 2004 he began his training on the sensory analysis of olive oils and in 2005 he was included in the list of quality control assessors of virgin and extra virgin olive oils of the emilia romagna region. since 2006, the year of its foundation, he has been a member of the professional tasting committee of the emilia romagna region recognized by mipaaf and in 2008 he obtained the title of panel leader.

 since 2006 he has been collaborating with the department of food sciences holding courses for professional olive oil tasters in accordance with the coi regulations and in 2019 he carried out this activity in mianyang, sichuan – china.

he regularly participates as a judge and sometimes panel leader in numerous national and internationalcompetitions for extra virgin olive oil, such as the “der feinschmecker” in hamburg, “oil china”, “slow food” guide, “olio capitale”, “orciolo d’oro”, “montiferru”, “biol novello”, and other regional ones such as “oro delle marche”, “il novello di romagna”, “oro giallo”, “selecta”, etc. he occasionally carries out tasting training activities in schools or for associations or private companies (including in october 2019 at the slowear showroom in new york).

dr. mehmet ulas is an agricultural engineer in olive growing and oil technologies. he has been a permanent researcher at the institute of olive research since 2008. he completed a 3rd master in olive growing and oil technology at the university of cordoba. in addition, he completed his first tasting training under this program in 1999.

he completed 9th expert courses on virgin olive oil tasting at the university of jaen in 2011. in 2012, the izmir olive research institute re-established the olive oil tasting panel. he completed panel leadership tasting graduate diploma-iooc madrid in 2018.

he has managed many international projects and collaborations with the international olive council. technical cooperation with the catalan panel in irta-reus -2013. technical cooperation with the cepaal in the “modern olive farming management” project. – 2014. technical cooperation with the university of cordoba in the “effects of good agricultural practices on olive pest control in current strategies in southern spain” – 2015. technical cooperation with the cabra panel.

since 2012, he has participated in numerous national and international competitions, tastings pieces of training, and competitions. he has been an international jury at the jaen university olive oil tasting competition (2015), the jury at the finolive olive oil competition porto alegre-brazil. (2014) and the portuguese national olive oil competition in (2015-2016-2017-2018-2019) and the jury of anatolian iooc in 2021.

dr. maría dolores jaén canadas is a distinguished chemist with a specialization in biochemistry from the university of granada. she holds a ph.d. in food safety from the university of jaén and furthered her education with a master's in toxicology from the university of seville, a master's in food safety from the university of jaén, and expertise in water and soil purification from the european school of management and business. dr. jaén canadas is also a highly skilled evoo sommelier, oenologist, and sommelier.

dr. jaén canadas' professional journey began after completing her chemistry degree, where she spent several years at the faculty of medicine, researching melatonin and its effects on the nervous system. in 1999, she founded "higea laboratories," an agri-food analysis lab. under her leadership, the lab has focused primarily on the olive industry, expanding its horizons to include food and water analysis, as well as managing food industries concerning safety and hygiene.

in addition to her role at higea laboratories, dr. jaén canadas has served as the director of the “tasted room” tasting school since its inception in january 2020. the school aims to provide an immersive experience into the world of evoo, wine, chocolate, cheese, and other products by playing with emotions and the senses through interactive workshops and tastings.

she also holds a significant role as the head coordinator and professor of the master's degree in cosmetics and dermatology, in collaboration with the university of granada. her contributions to the field are further evidenced by her authored publications, including the book “transferring and storage of olive oils” and chapters in books focusing on food safety and melatonin.

throughout her illustrious career, dr. maría dolores jaén canadas has seamlessly combined her extensive knowledge in chemistry, food safety, and organoleptic studies, making her an influential figure in her field.