What Is Olive Oil Made Of? 6 Simple Stages!
Have you ever wondered what is olive oil made of? If you base it on its name, it’s made of olives, but it’s more than that.
We all know that olive oil is dubbed as the healthiest oil for cooking. That's why people who want to lose weight or keep their diet healthy switch to this kind of oil. please read here how much olive oil per day to lose weight.
Regardless, you don’t want to use something without knowing where it came from or how it’s made, right?
That’s why this article will give you all the information regarding what olive oil is made of.
So, keep on reading!
History Of Olive Oil
Before we get to know what olive oil is made of, you might want to read how this precious oil comes to place.
During ancient times, olive trees and fruit is considered sacred, especially in terms of religion.
Researchers found out that people would use it to cover their whole body for religious practices.
We can see how important this tree was because Hebrews created a law that prohibits you from cutting olive trees or being punished, which is still observed.
No wonder Homer referred to olive oil as "liquid gold."
Because royalty considers the oil a treasure, they should protect that they would send guards to protect Israel’s storages and olive groves.
And in ancient Greece, they believe that Athena made olives, that's why it is an essential fruit; used not only for cooking but also as fragrance, soap, anointment for the dead, lights, and medicine too!
What Olive Oil Is Made Of
Olive oil is made of the extracted liquid fat of ripened olive tree fruits.
The tree, Olea europaea, is a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, which explains their Mediterranean diet which olive oil is one of the main ingredients.
So, you can say that olive oil is a fruit juice. The only thing is that it's mainly composed of Monounsaturated fats; that’s why it’s called "liquid fat."
Don't get me wrong because not all fat found in foods will make you gain weight because we need a healthy diet. please read here what type of fat is olive oil.
The fatty acids found in olive oil are healthy, and these are omega-9 fatty acids.
You want to welcome these fatty acids to your diet plan. It comes with lots of benefits like maintaining your blood cholesterol levels, promoting controlled blood sugar levels, and preventing degenerative and chronic diseases.
That's why the Mediterranean population is considered the healthiest population with led risks of health problems, thanks to olive oil. read more here what is the best olive oil.
The Process Of Making Olive Oil
Of course, the olive oil products we buy nowadays wouldn’t be here without going through a process.
You want to know what the fruit has to go through to provide you with the benefits you enjoy. So, read on.
The production of olive oil goes with different stages:
Stage #1. Collecting and grading
The ripe olive oils are collected and go through inspection to be categorized according to how ripe it is, the plumpness, and the fruit's quality.
That is how the grades of each fruit are determined.
Stage #2. Fermenting
After the harvesters separate the olive oils, they take it to a press.
They would store the fruits for an extended period to bring the olives to ferment. It usually lasts from a few hours to a few weeks.
However, storing the fruits for too long will make them too tender, not suitable for extraction.
Stage #3. Washing and milling
Next, they are rinsing the olives with cold water, which is placed on a conveyor belt.
The machine serves as an olive crusher made up of hammers and a roller. The machine crushed the fruit and de-stones it.
Stage #4. Cold pressing
After the previous stage, the crushed fruits will undergo cold pressing.
The olives are then moved into vats with slow-moving blades, which will convert the fruit's state into a homogeneous paste.
And the homogenous paste is placed in a hydraulic press where the olive oil takes place.
It is called cold pressing in terms that the olive oil is obtained without heat to ensure its purity.
Stage #5. Separating the olive oil from the water
After the oil comes out, the next stage will involve the separation of oil with the vegetable water. please read here how to make vegetable pasta bake.
Before, the mixture of water and oil was store inside a vat. Since water and oil don't mix, the oil will eventually rise to the mix's top, ready to be separated.
However, such a method of storing the mixture would usually cause the oil to ferment, affecting its taste and smell.
Thankfully, because of technology advancement, the separation of the mixture became easy.
Today, the split takes place through the centrifuge, with its rotating drum and an auger that speeds very fast forces the oil and water apart.
Once it's done, they will store the oil in underground vats to prepare for shipment.
Stage #6. Packaging
And for the last stage, the oil will be canned or bottles. You might notice that olive oil usually have dark-tinted containers. It has its purpose, which is to maintain the dark green colour of the oil.
Some olive oils come in clear bottles, but that fades the oil to a yellowish-green. But don't worry because the taste will still be the same.
Some olive oil distributors would repack their purchased oil and repack it with their container. The packaging is part of the food industry that influences the sales of such a product.
Since we all first see the cover and not what's inside, your product's packaging should captivate buyers to buy such a product.
However, as a responsible buyer, you should always check what your buying, the ingredients, and nutrition facts make sure that the food you're buying is suitable for your diet and is healthy for you!
Conclusion
Now that you have learned olive oil made of, you might realize how healthy it is and beneficial for your health.
Don’t just settle for mediocre, settle for the best products out there. Choose extra virgin olive oil.
So, the next time you want to buy olive oil, you'd like to shop on Torre & Olive for quality products.
Nevertheless, thank you for reading!