Properties and health benefits
of olive oil
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The
cultivation of olive trees was enhanced in Greece and was considered very
important. Greeks and Phoenicians brought the olive tree and olive oil all over
the Mediterranean. In Athens, for example, the olive tree was the symbol of the
city and its sacred tree. The Phoenicians were the ones who brought the
techniques of cultivation to Spain, along with the Greeks years later. But
those who had planted the peninsula of olive trees were the romans. The emperor
Hadrian came to mint coins with a bouquet of olive and an inscription that read
'Hispania'. The Romans improved techniques of cultivation and processing of
olive oil, being a great city Rome of importing oil.
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Olive
tree branch loaded with ripe black olives
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Later the
arabs increased their cultivation until the fall of their empire reduced
consumption in Africa. With the arrival of Columbus in the Americas, Andalusia
and Extremadura contributed to the olive tree will come mainly to Peru, Chile,
Argentina and Mexico. In the present can be found also in California, Chile and
elsewhere in South America. In spite of the fact that today can be found
throughout the world, is the Mediterranean area, its origin, where it focuses
the bulk of production and, Spain is the country with more olive trees and
greater production of olive oil of the world.
The
virgin olive oil is carried out by two methods basically, pressure or
centrifugation. The pulp from the olives
is distributed in baskets and to be subjected to pressure in hydraulic presses
or paste is centrifuged obtaining three phases (oil, alpechín and orujo).
Then it
will depend on, if the oil treat continues to and how is done, you get one of
the following types of oil:
-Virgin
olive oil: oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical
procedures or other physical processes, in conditions that do not cause
alteration of the oil, and that have not undergone any treatment other than
washing, decanting, centrifugation and filtration, to the exclusion of oils
obtained by solvent, by contributing to chemical or biochemical action, or by
procedure re-esterification processes and of any mixture with oils of other
kinds (can be fine, lampante, or extra). Within the extra virgin olive oil
could also highlight the organic extra virgin olive oil.
-Refined
olive oil: olive oil obtained by refining Virgin olive oils. It is pale, its
acidity does not reach 0.2 ° so it just has flavour and contains very few
vitamins, phytosterols and substances responsible for aroma.
-Olive oil
or pure olive: is a mixture of Virgin olive oil and refined olive oil. Its
acidity must not exceed 1 °. It is the most common oil on the market.
-Olive
orujo oil: residue remaining along with the solid waste of the once separate
olive, once separated the first cold-pressed oil, is of lower quality and need
to be refined until its maximum acidity reach 0.3 °.
Within
the different types of olive oil, the virgin and pure olive, are the richest in
vitamin E (antioxidant action) and phytosterols (substances that help to reduce
the levels of cholesterol in blood).
The lower
the acidity of a oil, quality is better and more stable is its chemical integrity
at the application of heat.
Oil has a
shelf life by rules of two years from
the moment that was produced, but while cooler best, because over time it loses
properties. It is better to consume it within the year.
The container must protect the
oil from three factors: light, air (by their degradation) and temperature.
The one
that best preserves the quality is the Tetra Brik, although he is not very
frequent. Resists shock, does not pass the ultraviolet rays and resists the
changes of temperature.
The
second best is the polarized glass, which resists ultraviolet rays and thermal
changes but it is more fragile.
Then,
from best to worse, Tin, transparent glass and finally the plastic, which are
the most widespread because of their low cost,
but are very permeable to light and heat.
A team of
researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the University of
Granada has discovered in laboratory studies, that the components of the extra
virgin olive oil more active against cancer are polyphenols called Lignans and
secoiridoids.
These
components inhibit the carcinogenic gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells in
cultivation. The results of this work, published in the International Journal
of Oncology, show that these polyphenols could be useful in the design of
future therapies.
The main
characteristic of the olive oil is the high rate of monounsaturated fatty acids
(oleic acid), and antioxidants.
Both
(polyunsaturated) contained in olive oil, linoleic acid and oleic acid are
essential for health, since they are necessary and our organism cannot
synthesize them.
These
fatty acids are known as essential. Consuming olive oil in foods are covered the
basic needs of these nutrients. The consumption of olive oil can help us:
- Prevents
the emergence of cardiovascular disease, since providing unsaturated fatty
acids, it regulates the levels of cholesterol in blood.
- Improves
the functioning of the digestive system.
- Prevents
constipation when crude oil is taken and on an empty stomach.
- Has
protective and tonic effect on the skin.
- Improves
the metabolic functions and brain development, since fatty acids favour the
formation of cell membranes, and the formation of brain tissue.
- Stimulates
calcium absorption and therefore stimulates bone growth.
- Reduces
wear of the tissues due to their antioxidant power, decreasing the aging of the
cell membrane.
- Reduces wear of the tissues due to their antioxidant power, decreasing the aging of the cell membrane.
-Improve
life expectancy and quality of life in general because of its natural supply of
nutrients.
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| European olive tree |