What Is Pomace Olive Oil? Things You Should Know!
What is pomace olive oil? It is the olive’s by-product after the extraction of olive oil. It is an oil infused with chemicals to draw it out of the pomace seed.
Whenever you are buying goods from the grocery, have you ever came across the olive oil section? Read more here What olive oil to buy.
What do you usually look for when buying olive oil? The type, concentration, or price?
My mom and I used to buy our food in the grocery. While I was with her, she went to the olive oil section to buy one to cook.
There are actually various types of olive oils. You can have the extra virgin, regular, and pomace olive oil.
Well, when it comes to extra virgin olive oil, we always opt for the best. When I say the best, I mean those products from Torre & Olive.
Never heard of pomace olive oil? Since curiosity kills the cat, as they say, I did my little research about pomace olive oil, and here is what I found out.
What A Pomace Oil Is?
What is pomace olive oil? It is much like its close sister, the olive oil, which came from the pulps of the olive oil tree.
Although pomace oil is not mechanically extracted. It is chemically removed after getting all the extra virgin and the regular olive oil from the pulp.
When olive oil is widely used in culinary, cookers can also use refined pomace oil from the same pulp, but a crude pomace oil is not recommendable for cooking. Please read here how to cook pasta in a slow cooker.
Types of Pomace Oil
Here are the types of pomace oil you can try:
· Crude pomace oil
Crude pomace oil is used for solvents and other chemicals. Unlike the extra virgin olive oil, which has an olive taste, pomace oil has none.
You can use it for human consumption if it has been refined. Otherwise, you might get poisoned or have a severe illness when consumed.
· Refined pomace oil
This type of pomace oil is from the crude pomace oil, only refined. It is free from acids which makes it a suitable oil to use in cooking.
Refined pomace oil is perfect for individual dishes since it has no taste, but the crude type of pomace olive oil is typically used for industrial purposes.
Benefits Of Pomace Oil
Regular consumption of refined pomace oil could help clear your arteries and lower your cholesterol levels.
It also has the same high oleanolic acids as the regular olive oil that helps regulate your blood pressure.
Like the other types of olive oils, refined pomace oil is also gluten-free even after the refinement process.
Usage
Pomace olive oil can be widely used for industrial and culinary purposes, depending on the type.
· Refined pomace olive oil
You can use refined pomace oil the same as regular olive oil. It has a higher boiling point than olive oils, but this type of olive oil is best for deep frying. Please read here How to boil pasta.
It may be at a lower rate than the other types of olive oil, but it could be the best substitute for margarine or butter since it has the same benefits as olive oil.
It is an affordable, cheaper, useful, and more versatile oil than that of the other olive oils in the market.
· Crude olive oil
Meanwhile, crude olive oil is used for industrial purposes. It is used in salons to help treat various hair issues. Read more here What olive oil is best for hair.
Adding this to the scalp will help treat its dryness and rejuvenate while moisturising your hair and scalp.
Pomace oil is mostly used in shampoos, soaps, and a bath as it moisturises and rejuvenates dry skin.
Dangers Of Pomace Olive Oil
Although it seems to be the perfect olive oil to use in culinary activities, it has not been considered one of the olive oil types.
According to the British Food Standards Agency, some warnings about the carcinogenic properties that a pomace olive oil might have.
According to the same agency, pomace olive oil is the residue after extracting the virgin olive oil from olive trees.
A Spanish government also reported that pomace oil has polycyclic aromatic carbons, also known as PAHs contaminants.
This type of hydrocarbon can cause cancer instead of helping it be prevented. It is believed to be a product of making this type of oil upon the extraction process.
The Spanish government also issued a ban on olive pomace oil because of these findings.
Pomace Olive Oil Vs Olive Oil
If you are still confused with the difference between the regular olive oil and the pomace oil, worry not, my friend, we've laid it out for you.
Fruit origin
Olive oil comes from the fruit, while pomace is from the dry pulp. The process of extracting olive oil from the fruit is through heating.
The first extraction of oil is the extra virgin olive oil. The second one is natural olive oil. Then once the pulp is dry, with the help of some chemicals, pomace oil is extracted.
Extraction process
Extra virgin and natural olive oil are extracted through the thorough pressing of the olive fruit. It is crushed and turned into pasta, then wrung the dry portion out.
On the other hand, pomace olive oil is mixed with a chemical called hexane to get the most oil in the dry pulp.
In my own opinion, pomace olive oil may not be the best quality of cooking oil in the market, but it is not the worst.
Compared to the regular types of vegetable oils like corn, canola, or soybean, which are made from chemical extraction, pomace olive oil is still better.
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Conclusion
Knowing what pomace olive oil is, you now know which oil to use for cooking or industrial purposes.
You can use pomace olive oil in both situations, but it is best to watch out for its usage because using too much could also cause harm to both ends.