Extra virgin olive oil is in high demand for both culinary and medicinal purposes. However, it has been estimated that more than 70% of the supposed extra virgin olive oil in major supermarkets in the United States of America are actually fake.
What is alarming is that not less than seven major producers of olive oil in the US are known to dilute their olive oil with other oil like canola and sunflower oil, which are relatively cheap oil. This practice is corrupt and an abuse of consumer rights, as the labels of the olive oil brands produced by these companies do not indicate the presence of these other oils, but instead claim that their olive oil on offer is extra virgin olive oil, all in an attempt to boost their profit margins.
The unscrupulous practice in the U.S is reminiscent of the 2008 operation Golden Oil debacle in Italy that involved the closing down and seizure of not less than 85 supposed olive oil farms. It was discovered that these farms mixed a percentage of olive oil with sunflower, chlorophyll and canola oil. In 2012, it was found that no single extra virgin olive oil brand attained a certificate of approval.
The extra virgin olive oil scandal led to scientists from California University to carry out extensive tests on a total of 124 “extra virgin olive oil” brands imported from major producers. It was discovered that more than 70% of the “olive oil” tested came out as fake.
Here are the brands that failed the extra virgin olive oil test
- Antica Badia
- Bertolli
- Carapelli
- Colavita
- Coricelli
- Felippo Berio
- Mazola
- Mezzetta
- Pompeian
- Primadonna
- Safeway
- Sasso
- Star
- Whole Foods
It was also discovered that these other brands below passed the test with flying colors.
- Bariani Olive oil
- California Olive Branch
- Cobram Estate
- Corto olive
- Kirkland Organic
- Lucero
- Lucini
- McEvoy Ranch Organic
- Olea Estates
- Omaggio
- Ottavio
How to Use Olive Oil
You'll find plenty of inconsistencies when you begin reading information about olive oil's supposed health benefits, as well as the risks of using it for cooking. Some advocate consuming olive oil only at room temperature, drizzling it abundantly over salads and other foods. Others argue there is insufficient evidence that cooking with olive oil produces enough toxic byproducts to pose a health risk.
Case in point: An article published in Serious Eats examined a few studies and then concluded there's no real danger from cooking with olive oil. The author cited one study that found olive oil to be more stable than various seed oils for frying at temperatures between 320 and 374 degrees F.
Another study found olive oil produced fewer fumes (volatile aldehydes) than canola oil. Indeed, several studies have shown that virgin olive oil produces fewer oxidation products than polyunsaturated oils when heated, due to its antioxidants. I disagree with recommendations to cook with olive oil, and so do many experts on fats and oils.
For example, I've previously interviewed Rudi Moerck, Ph.D., on the proper use of various cooking oils. He warns olive oil should not be used in cooking, as its chemical structure and high amount of unsaturated fats make it highly susceptible to oxidative damage when heated. When oxidative damage happens inside your body, it can trigger pain, arthritis, cancer and heart disease, and can speed up the aging process, so you'll want to minimize anything that increases your body's oxidative stress.
Moreover, even if your olive oil were to withstand the heating process without oxidizing, its nutrients are destroyed by heat, so it's not providing you with any health benefit once you've cooked with it.
If you need to cook something and have only two options available — a good olive oil and canola — it makes sense to reach for the olive. Just realize that there are much better options than either of those. Saturated fats such as butter, ghee and lard rendered from organically raised grass-fed animals are far more resistant to the heat-induced oxidation of cooking than even the best olive oil. Coconut oil is another excellent option.
How to Optimize Shelf Life
Olive oil is extremely perishable even when used cold, thanks to its chlorophyll content, which accelerates decomposition. If you're like most people, you're probably leaving your bottle of olive oil right on the counter, opening and closing it multiple times a week.
It's important to remember that any time the oil is exposed to air and/or light, it oxidizes, and the chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil accelerates the oxidation of the unsaturated fats. Clearly, consuming spoiled oil (of any kind) will likely do more harm than good. To protect your olive oil from rancidity, be sure to:
- Keep it in a cool, dark place
- Purchase smaller bottles to ensure freshness
- Immediately replace the cap after each pour
To help protect extra virgin olive oil from oxidation, Moerck suggests putting one drop of astaxanthin into the bottle. You can purchase astaxanthin, which is an extremely potent antioxidant, in soft gel capsules. Just prick it with a pin and squeeze the capsule into the oil.
The beautiful thing about using astaxanthin instead of another antioxidant such as vitamin E is that it is naturally red, whereas vitamin E is colorless, so you can tell the oil still has astaxanthin in it by its color. As the olive oil starts to pale in color, you know it's time to throw it away.
You can also use one drop of lutein in your olive oil. Lutein imparts an orange color and will also protect against oxidation. Again, once the orange color fades, your oil is no longer protected against rancidity and should be tossed. This method is yet another reason for buying smaller bottles. If you have a large bottle, you may be tempted to keep it even though it has begun to oxidize.
How to Identify Defective Olive Oil
How can you tell superior olive oil from an inferior one, or whether or not your olive oil has gone bad? Here are four tell-tale signs to look out for:
1.Rancidity. If it smells like crayons or putty, tastes like rancid nuts and/or has a greasy mouthfeel, your oil is rancid and should not be used.
2.Fusty flavor. "Fusty" oil occurs when olives sit too long before they're milled, leading to fermentation in the absence of oxygen. Fusty flavors are incredibly common in olive oil, so many simply think it's normal. However, your olive oil should not have a fermented smell to it, reminiscent of sweaty socks or swampy vegetation.
To help you discern this particular flavor, look through a batch of Kalamata olives and find one that is brown and mushy, rather than purple or maroon-black and firm. The flavor of the brown, mushy one is the flavor of fusty.
3.Moldy flavor. If your olive oil tastes dusty or musty, it's probably because it was made from moldy olives, another occasional olive oil defect.
4.Wine or vinegar flavor. If your olive oil tastes like it has undertones of wine and vinegar (or even nail polish), it's probably because the olives underwent fermentation with oxygen, leading to this sharp, undesirable flavor.
Tips and Guidelines for Finding the Real Deal
For more information about olive oil — how it's made and what constitutes extra-virgin olive oil, please listen to the full interview with Olmsted, or read through the transcript, as he goes into details about pressing, grading and testing. In his book, "Fake Food, Real Food," he also explains how to make your own.
Below is a summary of various tips gathered from experts about how to find the best quality olive oil. You can also find more information on Mueller's website, Truth in Olive Oil.
Harvest date: Insist on a harvest date, and try to purchase oils only from the current year's harvest. Look for "early harvest" or "fall harvest." | Storage and tasting: Find a seller who stores the oil in clean, temperature-controlled stainless steel containers topped with an inert gas such as nitrogen to keep oxygen at bay, and bottles it as they sell it; ask to taste it before buying. |
Color and flavor: According to Guy Campanile, an olive oil producer, genuine, high-quality extra virgin olive oil has an almost luminescent green color. However, good oils come in all shades, from luminescent green to gold to pale straw, so color should not be a deal-breaker. The oil should smell and taste fresh and fruity, with other descriptors including grassy, apple, green banana, herbaceous, bitter or spicy (spiciness is indicative of healthy antioxidants). Avoid flavors such as moldy, cooked, greasy, meaty, metallic or resembling cardboard. | Bottles: If buying pre-bottled oil, favor bottles or containers that protect against light; darkened glass, stainless steel or even clear glass enclosed in cardboard are good options. Ideally, buy only what you can use up in six weeks. |
Labeling terms: Ensure that your oil is labeled "extra virgin," since other categories — "pure" or "light" oil, "olive oil" and "olive pomace oil" — have undergone chemical processing. Some terms commonly used on olive oil labels are meaningless, such as "first pressed" and "cold pressed." Since most extra virgin olive oil is now made with centrifuges, it isn't "pressed" at all, and true extra virgin oil comes exclusively from the first processing of the olive paste. | Quality seals: Producer organizations such as the California Olive Oil Council and the Australian Olive Association require olive oil to meet quality standards that are stricter than the minimal USDA standards. Other seals may not offer such assurance. Of course, finding "USDA certified organic" is a bonus, but not the only consideration. Though not always a guarantee of quality, PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) status should inspire some confidence. |
Storage and use: Keep your olive oil in a cool and dark place, and replace the cap or cork immediately after each pour. Never let it sit exposed to air. | Prolonging freshness: To slow oxidation, try adding one drop of astaxanthin to the bottle. Astaxanthin is red, so it will tint your olive oil. As the olive oil starts to pale, you know it's time to throw it away. Alternatively, add one drop of lutein, which is orange in color. Vitamin E oil is another option, but since it's colorless, it will not give you a visual indicator of freshness. |
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