Products
Olive oil is available in grocery stores and specialty stores. The oil monographed in the pharmacopoeia is available in pharmacies and drugstores.
Structure and properties
Olive oil is a fatty oil obtained from the ripe stone fruits of the olive tree L. by cold pressing or by other suitable mechanical methods. The olive tree (olive tree) is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region. The pharmacopoeia distinguishes between virgin and refined (purified) olive oil:
- Virgin olive oil: Olivae oleum virginale (PhEur).
- Refined olive oil: Olivae oleum raffinatum (PhEur)
Olive oil is present as a clear, colorless to greenish yellow translucent liquid with a typical taste. When cooled, it solidifies at about 0 ° C to a buttery mass. The fatty oil consists of over 98% to 99% triglycerides with a high proportion of the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid (56 to 85%). Other fatty acids in the triglycerides include palmitic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid and palmitoleic acid. The unrefined oil contains accompanying substances that are valuable for health, such as vitamins, phenols, polyphenols, secoiridoids and phytosterols. These include, for example, oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol.
Qualities
Different qualities of olive oil are distinguished. These include (selection):
- Extra virgin olive oil: Highest quality with a low content of free fatty acids.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Has a good taste, but may have certain defects
- Lampante oil: Lowest quality, not suitable for use as food, was used as lamp oil
- Refined olive oil: Purified oil, with many valuable accompanying substances removed.
- Virgin olive oil: Oil left natural
- Pharmacopoeia quality: Oils monographed in the pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.).
Effects
Olive oil has skin nourishing and protective properties. Especially the polyphenols are attributed various health-promoting properties, such as antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects. Soaps can be produced by ester hydrolysis, for example with sodium hydroxide. Olive oil is suitable for cold and hot cooking, but it should not be heated too much.
Fields of application
- As an edible oil.
- For the production and preparation of food.
- As a skin care product and for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care products.
- As a dietary supplement, for example, for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Adverse effects
Olive oil has a high caloric value of well over 800 kcal per 100 g. Like other fatty oils, it can become rancid over time under the influence of oxygen and heat. The problem with olive oil is that numerous counterfeits enter the market. For example, the cheaper sunflower oil is mixed with the green chlorophyll or olive oil is stretched with the low-quality lampante oil.
