WHAT IS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL?

It is strange that a product as well-known as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is at the same time such an unknown product to our consumers. There are so many terms for something so simple that we believe it is important to distinguish between them:

EXTRA VIRGIN, VIRGIN, OLIVE, OLIVE POMACE 

We define what each one of these oils is from a manufacturing point of view, as well as in terms of the purity and quality parameters.

The category of Extra Virgin Olive Oil can include a wide range of oils of varying quality, given that the acidity level of bottled oils can range from 0.1% to 0.8%, and the organoleptic score can range from >0 to 10, so it is clear that the prices cannot be the same.

WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN QUALITY WITHIN THE EVOOs? 

As EVOO is a product made from a living material, the quality and the treatment of the fruit are essential, as well as the variety of the fruit, the type of cultivation, whether it is conventional or organic farming, whether it is dry farming or irrigated agriculture, whether the olive tree is planted intensively or traditionally… all these values will influence the quality of an olive oil. 

ARE ALL OLIVE OILS HEALTHY?

Yes, all olive oils are healthy, but not all are healthy in the same way. The content of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants will vary according to the category of olive oil in which they are found, and it will also vary according to the type of EVOO, because we know that within the extra virgin category there is a wide range of qualities, thus rendering the need for a PREMIUM category that the consumer recognises as the TOP EVOOs – those with the highest natural antioxidant content. 

AS WELL AS BEING CONSUMED RAW, CAN YOU FRY WITH OLIVE OIL? 

Yes, of course! Frying with olive oil has many advantages over frying with other seed oils:

• It has an acid composition which allows it to degrade at a very slow pace. 
• It provides some bioactive compounds.
• It gives hedonistic pleasure, as the smell of virgin olive oil contributes to a better reception of the fried product, compared to any other seed oil.

When frying food as a cooking method, the olive oil must be able to withstand very high temperatures, above 150°C (or 302°F). An essential factor in using this technique is knowing the smoke point of the olive oils.

The smoke point is the temperature at which oil starts to smoke. When oil is heated above this point, it will reach the flash point and begin to burn. Each time it is heated, the smoke point and the flash point decrease, which means that the oil loses quality and can be reused less often.

However, depending on the composition of oil, we find that there are olive oils that are more resistant to this frying process. Therefore, although EVOO has a lower smoke point than other oils, its composition makes it more resistant to frying, so it can be reused more times than other oils.

This is because Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a very high natural antioxidant content, which contributes to a slower and less extensive degradation, compared to other vegetable oils. It is also more stable than others, preserving all its nutrients for longer. 

When you are frying, it is important to bear in mind that food absorbs oil. EVOO has a higher density than seed oils, which means that less oil penetrates the food.   

The benefits of using Extra Virgin Olive Oils for frying are due to its lower percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and an even higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid – one of its main compounds.

In addition to the above, olive oil maintains a high nutritional value which is why it is so widely used.

The smoke points of some oils are:

Sunflower Oil 232°C / 449.6°F

Canola Oil 204°C / 399.2°F

Peanut Oil 232°C / 449.6°F

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 160°C / 320°F

Virgin Olive Oil 215°C / 419°F

Refined Olive Oil 240°C / 464°F