Olive oil

A bottle of olive oil.

Olive oil

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	3,701 kJ (885 kcal)
Carbohydrates	0 g
Fat	100 g
Saturated	14 g
Monounsaturated	73 g
Polyunsaturated omega−3 omega−6	11 g 0.8 g 10 g
Protein	0 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Vitamin E 93% 14 mg Vitamin K 52% 62 μg
100 g olive oil is 109 ml
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.

Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the Olive tree (Olea europaea L.), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is used in cooking, cosmetics, soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly Oleic acid) and polyphenols.

Grades and classification

The International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) sets standards of quality used by the major olive oil producing countries. It officially governs 95 percent of international production, and holds great influence over the rest. IOOC terminology is precise, but it can lead to confusion between the words that describe production and the words used on retail labels. Olive oil is classified by how it was produced, by its chemistry, and by its flavor. All production begins by transforming the olive fruit into olive paste. This paste is then malaxed to allow the microscopic oil droplets to concentrate. The oil is extracted by means of pressure (traditional method) or centrifugation (modern method). After extraction the remnant solid substance, called pomace, still contains a small quantity of oil.

Industrial grades

The several oils extracted from the olive fruit can be classified as:

• Virgin means the oil was produced by the use of physical means and no chemical treatment. The term virgin oil referring to production is different from Virgin Oil on a retail label (see next section).
• Refined means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (characterized as defects) and neutralize the acid content (free fatty acids). Refined oil is commonly regarded as lower quality than virgin oil; the retail labels extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil cannot contain any refined oil.
• Pomace olive oil means oil extracted from the pomace using chemical solvents — mostly hexane — and by heat.

Quantitative analytical methods determine the oil's acidity, defined as the percent, measured by weight, of free oleic acid in it. This is a measure of the oil's chemical degradation — as the oil degrades, more fatty acids get free from the glycerides, increasing the level of free acidity. Another measure of the oil's chemical degradation is the peroxide level, which measures the degree to which the oil is oxidized (rancid).

In order to classify olive oil by taste, it is subjectively judged by a panel of professional tasters in a blind taste test. This is also called its organoleptic quality.

Retail grades

Since IOOC standards are complex, the labels in stores (except in the US -- see below) clearly show an oil's grade:

• Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
• Virgin olive oil with an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil.
• Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
• Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined pomace olive oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be called olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely found in a grocery store; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
• Lampante oil is olive oil not used for consumption; lampante comes from olive oil's ancient use as fuel in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.

Label wording

Olive oil vendors choose the wording on their labels very carefully.

• "Imported from Italy" produces an impression that the olives were grown in Italy, although in fact it only means that the oil was bottled there. A corner of the same label may note that the oil was packed in Italy with olives grown in Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Tunisia. Since Spain produces nearly half of the world's olive harvest, it is likely the oil "imported from Italy" comes from olives grown in Spain.
• "100% Pure Olive Oil" often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
• "Made from refined olive oils" suggests that the essence was captured, but in fact means that the taste and acidity were chemically produced.
• "Lite olive oil" suggests a low fat content, whereas in fact it refers to a lighter color. All olive oil—which is, after all, fat—has 120 Calories per tablespoon (33 kJ/ml).
• "From hand-picked olives" gives the impression that special care went into the oil's production, whereas it is not clear that a manual harvest produces better oil than the common tree-shaking method.
• "First cold press" the oil in bottles with this label is the first oil that came from the first press of the olives. The word "cold" is important because if heat is used the olive oil's chemistry is changed.

Retail grades in the US

Most of the governments in the world are members of the International Olive Oil Council, which requires member governments to promulgate laws making olive oil labels conform to the IOOC standards.

The United States, however, is not a member of the IOOC (it is the only significant oil-producing or -consuming country that is not), and therefore the retail grades listed above have no legal meaning in the US. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which controls this aspect of labeling, currently lists two grades of olive oil -- "Fancy" and "Super Fancy" -- that date back to the 1940s and that no one uses. While the USDA is considering adopting labeling rules that parallel the international standards, until they do so terms like "extra virgin" may be applied to any grade of oil. As a consequence, the US is a dumping ground for old and mislabeled olive oil.

Therefore, US consumers should be wary of labels, especially ones that say "extra virgin." It is best to purchase olive oil for cooking from the lowest cost source (the supermarket, for example), but then to buy extra virgin oils for finishing, dipping, and dressings from a trusted specialty retailer. Even better is to buy extra virgin oils directly from US-based producers, as it will insure that you are getting the freshest oil.

The market

Olive tree in Portugal

The International Olive Oil Council is an inter-governmental organization based in Madrid, Spain that promotes olive oil around the world by tracking production, defining quality standards, and monitoring authenticity. More than 85% of the world's olives grow in the 23 nations that are members of the Council.

The United States is not a member of the IOOC, and the United States Department of Agriculture does not legally recognize its classifications (such as extra-virgin olive oil). The USDA uses a different system, which it defined in 1948 before the IOOC existed. The California Olive Oil Council, a private US trade group, is petitioning the Department to adopt terminology and practices that shadow the IOOC's rules.

Among global producers, Spain leads with more than 40% of world production, followed by Italy and Greece. Much of the Spanish crop is exported to Italy, where it is both consumed and repackaged for sale abroad as Italian olive oil. Although boutique groceries sell high-quality Spanish olive oil at a premium, Italian olive oil has the popular reputation for quality. However, chefs will often attest to the superior qualities of Greek olive oil. Incidentally, of these three competitors, Greece has the longest tradition of using the olive tree as a food source.

Global olive oil market

The main producing countries in 2003 were:

Country	Production	Consumption	Annual Per Capita Consumption (kg)
Spain	44%	23%	13.62
Italy	20%	28%	12.35
Greece	13%	11%	23.7
Turkey	7%	2%
Syria	7%	4%	6
North Africa (mainly Tunisia and Morocco)	4%	4%	10.9
Portugal	1.6%	3%	7.1
United States	nil	8%	0.56
France	nil	4%	1.34
Other	5%	16%

Olive oil extraction

Main article Olive oil extraction

The Manufacture of Oil, drawn and engraved by J. Amman in the Sixteenth Century.

Traditionally, olive oil was produced by beating the trees with sticks to knock the olives off and crushing them in stone or wooden mortars or beam presses. Nowadays, olives are ground to tiny bits, obtaining a paste that is mixed with water and processed by a centrifuge, which extracts the oil from the paste, leaving behind pomace.

Relation to human health

In the United States, producers of olive oil may place the following health claim on product labels:

Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about two tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.

This decision was announced November 1, 2004 by the Food and Drug Administration after application was made to the FDA by producers. Similar labels are permitted for omega-3 fatty acids and walnuts which also contain monounsaturated oil.

A health study in 2005 compared the effects of different sorts of olive oil on arterial elasticity. Probands were given a serving of 60 grams of white bread and 40 milliliters of olive oil each morning for two consecutive days. The study was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, the probands received polyphenol-rich oil ("extra virgin" oil contains the highest amount of polyphenol antioxidants), during the second, they received oil with only one fifth the phenolic content. The elasticity of the arterial walls of each proband was measured using a pressure sleeve and a Doppler laser. It was discovered that after the probands had consumed olive oil high in polyphenol antioxidants, they exhibited increased arterial elasticity, while after the consumption of olive oil containing less polyphenols, they exhibited no significant change in arterial elasticity. It is supposed that, in the long term, increased elasticity of arterial walls reduces vascular stress and consequentially the risk of two common causes of death - heart attacks and stroke. This could, at least in part, explain the lower incidence of both ailments in regions where olive oil and olives are consumed on a daily basis.

In addition to the internal health benefits of olive oil, topical application is quite popular with fans of natural health remedies. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the preferred grade for moisturizing the skin, especially when used in the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). OCM is a method of cleansing and moisturizing the face with a mixture of EVOO, castor oil (or another suitable carrier oil) and a select blend of essential oils.

Olive oil in history

Besides food, olive oil has been used for medicines, as a fuel in oil lamps, to make soap, and as bodily decoration. The importance and antiquity of olive oil can be seen in the fact that the word "oil" actually derives from the same root as "olive".

Middle East

The first official documentation [1] regarding olive trees and oil production was found in the archives of the ancient city-state Ebla, around a dozen documents, dated 2400 BC, describing lands in the property of the king and the queen. These belonged to a library of clay tablets perfectly preserved by having been baked in the fire that destroyed the palace. Many of the tablets dealt with administrative and commercial affairs. The tablets that have been consolidated by fire included the first known bilingual dictionary. These tablets use cuneiform script and are written in many languages. The kingdom of Ebla (2600-2240 BC) was located on the outskirts of the Syrian city Aleppo.

Olive Oil was also used by the ancient Hebrews. Olive oil of the highest purity was poured daily into the seven cups of the golden candelabrum (called the Menorah) in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Olive oil was also used for anointing the kings of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. From this ritual of anointing, the expected savior of the Jews is called the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ "anointed one"—mashiach). The word Christ (Greek Χριστός, Khristos, "the anointed one") is a literal translation of "mashiach".

Greece

Another instance of olive oil use is in religious ceremonies of the ancient Minoans. The oil was a principal product of the Minoan civilization, where it is thought to have represented wealth. The Minoans put the pulp into settling tanks and, when the oil had risen to the top, drained the water from the bottom. It was also very common in the cuisine of Ancient Greece and classical Rome. According to legend, the city of Athens obtained its name because Athenians considered olive oil more essential than water, thus preferring the offering of the goddess Athena (an olive tree) over the offering of Poseidon (a spring of water gushing out of a cliff).

The Spartans were the first Greeks to use the oil to anoint themselves while taking exercise in the gymnasia. The practice was intended to eroticise and highlight the beauty of the male body. From its beginnings early in the seventh century BC the decorative use of olive oil quickly spread to all of Greece, together with naked athletics, and lasted close to a thousand years despite its great expense.

Olive oil in contemporary religious use

Used as a medicinal agent in ancient times, and as a cleanser for athletes (athletes in the ancient world were slathered in olive oil, then scraped to remove dirt), it also has religious symbolism related to healing and strength and to "consecration" -- God's setting a person or place apart for special work. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches use olive oil for the Oil of Catechumens (used to bless and strengthen those preparing for Baptism), Oil of the Sick (used to confer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick), and olive oil mixed with a perfuming agent like balsam is consecrated by bishops as Sacred Chrism, which is used to confer the sacrament of Confirmation (as a symbol of the strengthening of the Holy Spirit), in the rites of Baptism and the ordination of priests and bishops, in the consecration of altars and churches, and, traditionally, in the anointing of monarchs at their coronation. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and a number of other religions use olive oil when they need to consecrate an oil for anointings.

To this day, Eastern Orthodox Christians use oil lamps in their churches and home prayer corners. To make a vigil lamp a votive glass with a half-inch of water on the bottom is filled the rest of the way with olive oil. The votive glass is placed in a metal holder; different kinds of metal holders may hang from a bracket on the wall, or one that sits on a table. A cork float with a wick is placed in the glass and floats on top of the oil. The wick is then lit. When it comes time to douse the flame, the float can be (carefully!) pressed downward into the oil, and the oil douses the flame.

Olive oil is also recommended by Muhammad the Prophet of Islam. “Consume olive oil and anoint it upon your bodies since it is of the blessed tree.” He also stated that it cures seventy diseases.

While other fuels are allowed, Jews prefer to use olive oil to fuel the 9-branched candelabrum (called a menorah or a hannukiah) used to celebrate Judaism's holiday of Hanukkah.

See also

• Olive oil extraction
• Cuisine of Italy
• Cuisine of Greece
• Cuisine of Turkey
• Greek products
• Amurca, the byproduct in olive oil extraction, historically used for many purposes
• Oleocanthal, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound recently found in virgin olive oil

External links

• Coconut Oil
• The International Olive Oil Council
• Olive Oil - Production, Consumption, Exports, and Imports Statistics by Country
• The California Olive Oil Council
• Information on olive oil
• How to follow an olive oil rich Mediterranean diet
• US olive oil information
• Organic Olive Oil - Certificated, processing, controls, mills, and beneficial to our health
• Australian olive oil information
• Olive oil 'acts like painkiller'
• Phenols in olive oil benefit blood vessels
• Spanish Olive Oil - Production, history, taste, health benefit, organic olive oil, origin denominations.