A Guide to Buying Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
What makes Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) so healthy?
The majority of the health benefits of EVOO come from its polyphenols, which are preserved by cold extraction of the oil from the olives rather than using heat or chemicals, which destroy these health-promoting compounds.
Over the past 60 years, thousands of academic studies have shown that polyphenols lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They also prevent cancer and a range of neurodegenerative diseases.
What does ‘extra virgin’ actually mean?
For an olive oil to be considered ‘extra virgin’, not only does it have to be extracted mechanically without the use of heat or chemicals, it must also comply with very strict standards.
The most distinctive feature of EVOO compared to the lesser grades of non-refined (virgin) olive oils is its low fatty acid (oleic acid) content, which should be less than 0.8 grams per 100 grams.
If this content is higher than 0.8 grams, it indicates that the olive oil may have been made with damaged or diseased olives, or that the oil has been exposed to high temperatures or stored poorly. Any of these will reduce the health benefits of EVOO. So, make sure you check this value when you choose your olive oil. A very high quality EVOO will have a free fatty acid content closer to 0.3.
Note that a refined olive oil (if it doesn’t say ‘virgin’ or ‘extra virgin’ on the bottle) will have 0 fatty acids as these are removed in the refining process. Unfortunately, the refining process removes all the healthy polyphenols as well.
Another value to check is the ‘peroxide’. This shows how much oxidation has already occurred during the production process. The higher this value, the less time the oil will remain fresh. For an olive oil to be considered extra virgin, this value has to be lower than 20.
Can we taste the difference?
We can indeed! Aside from meeting the chemical standards, EVOO must also have three distinct qualities: fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency. These are determined by a tasting panel who rate the intensity of each attribute according to a scale.
When you next taste olive oil, look for:
Fruitiness: Does it smell and taste fresh, green, and ripe?
Bitterness: Does it taste bitter like beer or coffee? The more bitter it tastes, the more polyphenols it contains.
Pungency: Does it give you a stinging sensation at the back of your throat, a bit like pepper? That’s also the proof of a high content of polyphenols.
Can we cook with EVOO?
EVOO’s smoke point is up to 240 ºC (475 ºF) for short periods and 180 ºC (355 ºF) for longer periods. It’s therefore perfectly safe to cook (grill, fry, bake – but not deep fry) with EVOO.
However, as virgin olive oil has a slightly higher smoke point, and as it is less expensive, it would make sense to cook with virgin olive oil and use EVOO as a dip, salad dressing, or a last-minute pour over a cooked dish.