OLIVE OIL
Olive Oil dates back to thousands of years in the Mediterranean coastal countries. It has been known as “liquid gold”, “the Queen of vegetable oils” and “Mediterranean nectar” due to its natural health benefits, use in beauty care and excellence for cooking. Olive Oil is produced through a cold pressing process on whole fruits of the Olea europaea tree and extracting the oil by mechanical or chemical means. It is the only vegetable oil from a woody plant that is fit for human consumption in its natural state.
Types of Olive Oil
Types of Olive Oil is closely related to the extraction process: cold-pressed in a sequence from low pressure to high pressure. The first batch of Olive Oil resulting from low pressure cold pressing is of the best quality.
The International Olive Council (IOC) splits edible Olive Oil into 2 broad types:
- Virgin Olive Oil
- Refined Olive Oil
of which there are 5 sub types.
Virgin Olive Oil, or natural Olive Oil, is the extract of fresh olive fruit, filtered and processed without chemical means to remove foreign matter. No preservatives or additives are used in the entire process. Depending on the acidity, Virgin Olive Oil can be divided into three sub types:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: the highest grade, highest quality and most natural Olive Oil. Tastes great, and exudes elegant and pleasant plant fragrance. Acidity does not exceed 1%.
- Fine Virgin Olive Oil: extract of the second press. Slightly higher acidity, but not more than 2%. Pure taste and aroma.
- Ordinary Virgin Olive Oil: acceptable taste and flavor. Acidity of not more than 3.3%.
Refined Olive Oil is extracted from Virgin Olive Oil with acidity exceeding 3.3% and put through a refining process which can include chemical means. Quality, color and taste are poorer than Virgin Olive Oil, but Refined Olive Oil is generally cheaper. Refined Olive Oil can be divided into two sub types:
- Regular Olive Oil : refined Olive Oil which may have a certain proportion of Virgin Olive Oil added to reconcile the taste and color.
- Olive Pomace Oil: Olive Oil extracted from the olive pulp using dissolution method. It has a more neutral flavor making it unfashionable for cooking. But, it has the same fat constitution and formation just like the ordinary Olive Oil with the same health benefits.
Choosing Olive Oil
Good Olive Oil has the following characteristics:
Appearance:
Translucent and thick. Color range in pale yellow, yellow-green and blue-green. The deeper the color, the higher the acidity and therefore lower the quality. Refined Olive Oil will have the color pigments and other nutrients destroyed.
Smell:
Fruity flavor. Olive Oil from different species of tree will have a different fruity flavor. Experts can even be able to distinguish between 32 different olive fruit aromas such as licorice flavor, butter flavor, fruit flavor, chocolate flavor, and so on.
Taste:
Smooth, with a touch of bitterness and piquance. Lingers at back of the throat, and has a piquant after-taste.
Bad Olive Oil has the following characteristics:
Appearance:
Lack of translucent luster indicating oxidization, normally due to being on the shelf for too long. Light color and diluted which may indicate it is refined or blended oil.
Smell:
Stale, sour, metallic or rancid smell can indicate that the Olive Oil has gone bad, problems with the raw material used to produce the Olive Oil or inappropriate storing of the Olive Oil.
Taste:
Weird or simply no flavor, indicating the Olive Oil has gone bad or is a refined or blended oil.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Everyone knows Olive Oil is the healthier oil used for cooking and even beauty care, but what are the health benefits? Many gets fuzzy about the whats and hows of the actual health benefits, so in this article, a list of health benefits and how it comes about will be listed. It all boils down to the abundant nutrients in Olive Oil.
Promote blood circulation
Olive Oil can prevent the complications of arteriosclerosis and its symptoms, hypertension, heart disease, heart failure, kidney failure and brain hemorrhage. Olive Oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which increases the amount of nitrogen oxides, which relaxes arteries, thus preventing artery damage caused by high blood pressure. The omega-3 fatty acids can also prevent the formation of blood clots in two ways. First, it reduces the viscosity of the platelets, preventing platelets and fibrinogen from entwining. Secondly, omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the amount of fibrinogen, resulting in greatly reduced chance of thrombosis.
Improve digestive function
Olive Oil contains more unsaturated fatty acids than any other vegetable oil. It is rich in vitamins A, D, E, F, K, carotenoids, fat-soluble vitamins, antioxidants and other ingredients, plus, it contains no cholesterol, increasing human digestion and absorption rate. It reduces stomach acid, preventing the occurrence of gastritis and duodenal ulcer disease function. It may stimulate the secretion of bile and intensify the actions of trypsin, causing fats to be easily absorbed by the intestinal mucosa and reduce the occurrence of cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. Long-term consumption can also effectively relieve constipation.
Skin protection
Olive Oil is an edible “cosmetic skin care product”. It is rich with squalene, a natural organic compound, which is a natural skin moisturizer. Coupled with the essential fatty acids in Olive Oil that promotes rapid absorption, Olive Oil effectively maintains skin elasticity and moisture.
Olive Oil contains a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, K, A, D which are phenolic antioxidants. These phenolic antioxidants can eliminate facial wrinkles, prevent skin aging, protect the skin and hair, and prevents dry and cracked hands and feet. Smearing the skin with Olive Oil can also protect against UV rays, helping to prevent skin cancer.
Benefits the skeletal structure
Natural antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in Olive Oil helps the body’s absorption of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and zinc, promoting bone growth. Omega-3 fatty acids also helps in maintaining bone density and reduce osteoporosis caused by free radicals (highly reactive molecules).
Anti-Cancer
Because Olive Oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially the polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3, it can reduce the amount linoleic acid cancer can extract from the blood, getting rid of a nutrient much needed by cancer. Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids can compete with cancer for metabolism enzyme, making the cell membrane of cancer cells more unsaturated and easily destroyed, inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and reducing the chance of tumor occurrence. Therefore, it can prevent some forms of cancer (breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, uterine cancer).
Studies by Northwestern University in Chicago indicates that the main component of Olive Oil, olives acid, not only reduces the chances of suffering from cancer, but also improves the chances of recovery for individuals already suffering from malignant tumor.
Protection from radiation
Olive Oil’s polyphenols and lipopolysaccharide content gives it the ability to protect against radiation, which is why Olive Oil is often used in astronaut food. Frequent users of computers can use Olve Oil products for this reason as well. Before prolonged use of computers, Olive Oil can be used to massage the face and eyes. Use of rich Olive Oil bath products can also achieve the same effect. Please note that due to the difference in Olive Oil’s and laurel oil’s content, the effects of radiation protection is different.
Making baby food
The composition and digestibility of Olive Oil makes it the most suitable edible oil for babies. Half of the calorie intake of babies come from breast milk. After weaning, the amount of calorie required should be obtained through dietary fats. The ratio of linolenic and linoleic acid, which the human body cannot synthesize, in Olive Oil nutrients are similar to breast milk, making it easier to absorb for infants. This promotes nerve and bone growth and development, making Olive Oil an excellent nutrition food for fetal growth in pregnant women and infants.
Anti aging
Carotene and chlorophyll gives Olive Oil its yellow-green color. Chlorophyll helps to enhance metabolism, promote cell growth and accelerate wound healing. Furthermore, it helps to beautify a person’s appearance and reduce wrinkles. Experiments show that Olive Oil contains antioxidants that eliminate free radicals in the body, restoring the body’s organs and organ health and preventing brain aging and promoting longevity.
Prevention of cardiovascular disease
Olive Oil can protect the cardiovascular system in many ways:
- Prevent inflammation by lowering homocysteine (an amino acid that can damage the coronary vessel wall ), reducing the damage to the artery walls
- Lower blood pressure by increasing the content of nitric oxide in the body, which will relax the artery.
- Monounsaturated fatty acids in Olive Oil can reduce LDA cholesterol oxidation.
- Olive Oil contains a substance called squalene, which increases HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body. The higher the amount of HDL cholesterol in the body, the lower the amount of LDL oxidized in the arteries. Research shows that cholesterol was decreased by 13% on average in middle-aged men taking Olive Oil, in which there was a drop of 21% “bad” cholesterol.
- Olive Oil can reduce the rate of blood clot formation by increasing the omega-3 fatty acids in the body.
Olive Oil and blood pressure
High blood pressure is blood pressure readings maintaining above 140/90 mm Hg and is a major risk factor in the development process of arteriosclerosis. Together with high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes, high blood pressure is the major health problem in developed countries. Like other risk factors, lifestyle has a direct effect on blood pressure. A quarter of adults have high blood pressure problems. Due to the damage by high blood pressure to the human body, especially the heart, kidneys and brain, high blood pressure increases the risk of premature death.
It has not been particularly determined what effect the Mediterranean diet, which has a lot of Olive Oil, has on blood pressure. However, there is evidence that adding the Olive Oil to diet (without any other change) does have a blood pressure lowering effect. Regular consumption of Olive Oil can reduce systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.
CAN WE COOK USING OLIVE OIL? HOW ?
Olive Oil, with its unique taste and health benefits, is gradually becoming the ideal oil for cooking in the new century. Ordinary oil often has a greasy smell and taste which Olive Oil does not have. Instead, Olive Oil has an aroma that does not destroy the color and taste of the dish. This article will explore some culinary use of Olive Oil.
Frying with Olive Oil
Unlike ordinary cooking oil, Olive Oil’s chemical structure remains stable at high temperatures because of its antioxidant properties and high unsaturated fatty acid content. When cooking oil’s temperature exceeds its smoke point, its chemical structure changes, resulting in substances that can cause cancer. Olive Oil’s smoke point of 240 to 270 degrees Celsius is much higher than other commonly used cooking oil. This is why Olive Oil can be used repeatedly without deterioration, making it the most suitable oil for frying.
Grilling with Olive Oil
Olive Oil is also suitable for grilling. When using Olive Oil for grilling, it exudes a mouth-watering aroma.
Using Olive Oil as sauce or seasoning
The purpose of a sauce is to bring out the taste of the food, rather than to conceal it. Olive Oil is the best oil ingredient for sauces hot and cold as it can protect the color of fresh sauces.
Olive Oil can be mixed directly with all kinds of vegetables, pasta, salads and a variety of mayonnaise. It can be spread on bread and other food. Food with Olive Oil has a vibrant color, smooth taste, delightful aroma and has a rich Mediterranean flavor.
Marinating with the Olive Oil
Marinating food with Olive Oil before cooking heightens the taste of other spices enriching the taste of the dish.
Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used like salt on dishes as Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes dishes taste richer. Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used to balance high acidity foods, such as lemon juice, wine vinegar, wine, tomatoes , etc. It also harmonizes the taste of seasonings in dishes.
Baking with Olive Oil
Olive Oil is also suitable for baking bread and confections. Olive Oil is more delicious than butter and can be widely used in bread and confections.
Rice with Olive Oil
Adding a spoonful of Olive Oil when cooking rice makes the rice more fragrant and makes each grain of rice “fuller”.
Drinking Olive Oil
Drinking a tablespoon (about 8 ml) of Olive Oil after waking up every morning or before sleeping at night can lowering blood pressure and blood glucose, treat gastrointestinal diseases and reduce the formation of arterial thrombosis. Especially helpful for the elderly, and patients with high blood pressure and heart disease. After a few weeks, abnormal physiological conditions will be significantly improve.
1 Comments
Great informations 👍👍👍.
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