Olive Oil Health
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the healthier food choices you can
make. It is free of heart damaging cholesterol and full of monounsaturated
fats that actually reduce the risk of heart problems.
The FDA has approved the following health claim after years of investigation:
Monounsaturated fats from 13.5 grams per day of olive oil (1 tbsp)
may reduce your risk of heart disease when included in a moderated-fat
diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
A number of medical studies indicates possible anti-carcinogenic qualities
that may be due to flavonoids and polyphenols, both antioxidants present
in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Finally, you may notice a stinging or peppery sensation in your throat
after tasting olive oil, especially when eaten by itself. This is caused
by the naturally occurring oleocanthal present in the oil. It is a common
characteristic of middle-eastern oils. Try Peace Oil with a spoon and
notice the strong sensation shortly after swallowing.
Oleocanthal is the active ingredient in ibuprofen. While olive oil does
not contain pain reducing quantities, it may still have some of the long-term
benefits associated with repeated use of ibuprofen including reducing
the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease.
What is “Extra Virgin”?
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality available. It is the closest you can get to extracting the oil contained in each cell of the olive without altering it from its natural state. Here are the categories of olive oil based on international standards (the following information is adapted from Wikipedia):
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Extra-virgin olive oil is extracted by mechanical means only, contains no more than 0.8% “free fatty acid” *, and is judged to have a superior taste.
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Virgin olive oil is extracted by mechanical means only, has less than 2% free fatty acid, and is judged to have a good taste.
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Pure olive oil. Usually a blend of refined (see below) and virgin oil.
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Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
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Olive-pomace oil is extracted from the paste (pomace)that remains after virgin olive oil is pressed. It is extracted using chemical solvents, mostly hexane, and by heat. It may be blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described as olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely sold at retail; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
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Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil's long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
- Refined olive oil is obtained by filtering and chemically treating substandard olive oil to remove free fatty acid and stabilize the taste. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. This used to be referred to as “pure olive oil”.
* Free fatty acid is a chemistry term for a fat molecule that has separated from a fat chain. It has nothing to do with the acidity that most of us associate with lemons or vinegar. The more free fatty acid in olive oil, the lower the quality and the faster it is likely to break down and become rancid. Free fatty acid is formed when the healthy fatty acid chains in olive oil, such as the monosaturated fats, break down through hydrolosis and auto-oxidation.
MORE TO COME ON STORAGE OF OLIVE OIL AND OLIVE OIL CHEMISTRY.
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