In the market today, there is a variety of Olive Oils available. One must know what they are. We must know before we consume, what we are putting in our food.
Primarily there are 5 grades of Olive Oil available in the market– Extra Virgin oil, Virgin oil, Refined Oil, Pure Olive Oil, and Olive Pomace Oil.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- It is extracted by the cold-pressing
- Lower acidity content
- Superior flavor and contain no more than 0.8 percent acidity
- It retains most of the natural flavor and aroma
- Most commonly used type of olive oil for health purposes
Virgin Olive Oil
- If the olive oil has minimal defects and is found to have a free acidy between 0.8 and 2.0, it is graded as virgin. Virgin olive oil is NOT always of first pressing
- Unrefined oil usually with slight defects of aroma or flavor
- Lower chemical standards
- Higher fatty acid levels
Refined Olive Oil
- Refined olive oil usually has no taste or smell, and it will be light in color or even colourless.
- Least amount of virgin olive oil
- Considered low quality by the experts
- Good for commercial cooking purposes
Pure Olive Oil
- Blend of extra virgin or virgin olive oil with a refined form of oil
- Bland, and almost colorless oil
- Contain at least 10% virgin oil and oleic acid between 3-4%
- Higher smoke point and less apparent flavor than virgin oils
- Lightest true flavor of olives
Olive Pomace Oil
- Lowest quality olive oil
- Extracted from the residue after the fruit is pressed
- Virgin oil is mixed to help to improve the quality
- Lack of heart-healthy antioxidants
- It can add potentially cancer-causing compounds
Lite Olive Oil
- Light Olive Oil and Extra Light Olive Oil are the lowest grades
- Only the flavor is lighter as less than 10% virgin olive oil is added to light oils.
- It has none of the nutritional values of antioxidants that give olive oil its unique character.