Olive Oil, The Healthy Choice.

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Author: Ruth Bird

Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such as butter, palm and coconut oils because olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that does not increase levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Dr. Sears' Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an exquisite tasting imported oil from select regions of Umbria and Sicily, Italy. The environmental conditions, weather, exposure to the sun and nature of the soil in these regions contribute to the high quality of these local, organically grown olives.
But there's more to this olive oil than an exquisite flavor alone. Dr. Sears' rigid controls and special processing techniques preserve the quality and antioxidant properties of this very special olive oil.

Dr. Sears Extra Virgin Olive Oil is incredibly rich in antioxidants including squalene and polyphenols (such as tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein). These compounds are powerful antioxidants.

Antioxidants are important to your health because they scavenge free radical molecules known to increase general cellular inflammation, which is the origin of affected health.*
What's in Dr. Sears Olive Oil and how does it work?
Antioxidants Fight Free Radicals
Free radicals are extremely reactive chemicals that can wreak havoc in the body. Scientific evidence suggests they are the cause of accelerated aging and many other health concerns. Antioxidants help deactivate free radials.

I have researched this topic and come up with some very interesting information and data.

Soil Quality & Processing Ensure Potency
The soil quality in the select regions of Umbria and Sicily, Italy ensure the maximum levels of antioxidants. These special olives are processed under the mildest possible conditions to prevent the oxidation of these powerful antioxidants and then packaged under nitrogen to preserve oil quality. The squalene and polyphenol content is certified by an independent laboratory.

Finest Quality and Flavor
Extra Virgin is the finest grade of olive oil and only given to oil from the first pressing. Dr. Sears' Extra Virgin Olive Oil is pressed from the finest cultivars organically grown for an extraordinary flavor that is fruity and well rounded. It contains NO pesticides

Olive Oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in the olive.

Traditional Method - Olive Press: The Olive Press has been in use since Roman times, it works by applying pressure to the olive paste does separating the liquids (oil and vegetation water) from the solid material. The two liquids are them separated by standard [[decantation]].

This method is the most widely used in the world, and if adequate precautions are taken it's still a valid way of producing high quality olive oil.

First the olives are grind in to an olive paste, for this end large grindstones are used. The olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30 - 40 min, this has three objectives:
* guarantee that the olives are well grind
* malaxe (i.e. remix continuously) the olive paste allowing the small olive droplets to join
* allow the fruit [[enzymes]] to work producing some of the oil aromas.

The traditional method is a valid form of producing high quality olive oil, if after each extraction the disks are properly cleaned from the remains of paste; if not these will go in fermentation producing of flavours (called defects) that will contaminate the subsequently produced olive oil.
A similar problem can affect the grindstones, that in order to assure perfect quality, also require cleaning after each usage.

Technical Aspects: Proper cleaning with the use of high quality olives will produce high quality oil.
The grinding work of the grindstones, when compared to the modern method, is more adequate because it grinds the drupes pulps while touching only slightly the nut and the skin. This reduces the release of the oil [[Rancidification|oxidation]] enzymes present in these organs.
When compared to the modern method the introduction of water is minimal, does reducing the washing of the [[polyphenols]].
The exhausted paste, called [[Pomace]], has a low content of water making it an easier residue to manage.

Modern Method: The modern method of olive oil extraction uses an industrial decanter in order to by [[centrifugation]] separate all the phases.

In this method the olives are crushed by the use of a rotating mechanical mill, that grinds the olives in to a fine paste.
This paste is them malaxed for 30 to 40 min in order allow the small olive droplets to agglomerate. The aromas are created in these two steps throw action of fruit enzymes.

Afterwards the paste is pumped in to an industrial decanter where the phases will be separated. To facilitate the extraction process with the paste there is added a certain quantity of water.

Sinolea: This is the most recent method to extract oil from the olives, it's based on the different [[Surface_tension| surface tension]] of the vegetation water and the oil, these different physical behaviour allow the olive oil to adhere to a steel plaque while the other two phases stay behind.Decanter).

The main advantage of this method is the high quality of the oil produced. By reducing the contact of the paste with water the losses of prised aromas and [[polyphenol]]s are minimized. Several high quality oils are marketed has "Sinolea Extracted"

First Cold Pressed - Cold Extraction ==

Several oil are marketed has first cold pressed or cold extraction, this is a denomination describing the temperature at which the oil was obtained.

First Cold Pressed refers to oils obtained with the Traditional method, wile Cold Extraction refers to oils obtained by the Modern or Sinolea method.

The temperature of malaxation and extraction is crucial because it has an important effect on olive oil quality. When high temperatures are applied the more volatile aromas are lost and the rate of oil oxidation is increased, producing therefore lower quality oils.
The temperature is adjusted basically by controlling the temperature of the water added during these two steps. High temperatures are used to increase the quantity of olive oil obtained from the paste.

Consumer point of view: High quality olive oil can be obtained by all the methods if proper measures are taken. Olive oil quality is more dependent on the quality of the olives themselves and on the time they have to wait from harvesting to extraction, than on the extraction method itself.