Olive Oil Guide: How to Choose Correctly

In the last twenty years, the topic of olive oil has become extremely discussed worldwide. The reason for this is the boom in medical development and the search for a solution to one of humanity's biggest problems as a species - our progressive obesity.

Data from the last 50 years show that the number of overweight people has doubled, and by 2022 this is the primary cause of two of the leading diseases with the highest mortality in the world - ischemic heart disease and diabetes.

In Bulgaria, according to Eurostat data for 2019, over 60% of men and almost 50% of women of adult age have weight exceeding normal values.

And although there is quite controversial information about olive oil, it turns out to be the key to the solution.

An interesting fact about olive oil is that nowadays it is far less popular than it was 10,000 years ago. But let's not delve into this topic right now.
You can read more about it in Interesting Facts about Olive Oil.

Below you will find answers to all questions providing complete information about the reasons why scientists consider olive oil an integral part of a healthy lifestyle:

What is olive oil?

In general terms, olive oil is olive juice obtained by pressing them. The oil extracted is also called olive oil. Yes, exactly, there is no difference between olive oil and olive oil. The second name comes from its literal translation from English. And if an olive oil is of the extra virgin type, we can safely call it fresh olive juice, since the method of obtaining this type of oil is similar to fresh citrus juices.

What does olive oil contain?

The composition of olive oil varies depending on the variety, altitude, harvest time, and extraction process. It mainly consists of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids, including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%).

Its chemical composition characterizes it as a vegetable fat.
Depending on the type of olive oil, the kind of fats that predominate in its composition also varies:

If it is extra virgin, then it is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which are a good source of phytosterols, the type of sterols responsible for HDL cholesterol. (the good cholesterol)
If it is of the “pure” or “light” olive oil type, then it mainly contains trans fats, responsible for raising LDL cholesterol levels, which increases blood pressure and leads to heart diseases.

The nutritional composition of unrefined olive oils also reveals a rich content of vitamins and minerals that have a beneficial effect on our body.
Full data on the composition of olive oil can be read in Beneficial substances in extra virgin olive oil and their properties.

How many types of olive oil exist?

Olive oil is divided into two main categories - unrefined and refined. The difference between the two types comes from the preparation method:

Category: Unrefined olive oil

It is prepared solely through mechanical processes of pressing, centrifugation, and bottling, often called cold pressing because low temperatures are maintained throughout the process to prevent fermentation of the olives. This type of olive oil is also of high quality and contains many beneficial properties.

Unrefined olive oils include:

Extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) - The highest quality olive oils, obtained from cold-pressed olives at the peak of their ripeness, without additional refining. Its acidity is characterized by up to 0.8% acidity. Most olive oils on the market labeled EVOO do not meet the classification for extra virgin.
Virgin (VOO) - virgin olive oil is also suitable for direct consumption but has slightly lower qualities and the nutritional values are many times lower than those of extra virgin. Its acidity is characterized by an acidity level between 1 and 4%.
Lampante (Lampante olive oil) - olive oil that requires further processing to be suitable for consumption. Intended only for refining or technical use.

Category: Refined olive oil

Unrefined olive oils and blends that undergo chemical treatment, much of which is not suitable for direct consumption and accordingly the nutrient content is minimal or completely absent.

Refined olive oils include:

Refined olive oil (Refined olive oil) - extracted from extra virgin and virgin olive oil, which as a result of refining, no longer contains any polyphenols and antioxidants, and instead of monounsaturated fatty acids, is rich in trans fats.
Olive oil - Usually contains a blend of refined olive oil and between 5 and 15% extra virgin and/or virgin olive oil.
Extra light & pure olive oil - characteristic of this type of olive oils is that they are so processed that they have no beneficial nutrients, have a very light color and pale shade, but are rich in calories and trans fats.

Pomace olive oil (pomace means pomace, or waste olive oil and also falls into the category of refined olive oils):

Crude olive pomace oil - obtained by physical treatment of olive pomace with solvents. Intended for refining and technical use.
Refined crude pomace oil - the oil obtained from refining crude olive pomace oil. High in trans fats and with no antioxidant properties.
Blend of pomace oil and olive oil - represents a blend of refined crude pomace oil and extra virgin or virgin olive oils.

Types of olive oil and their characteristics

How is olive oil produced?

Although technologies advance over time, olive oil production has remained almost unchanged for the last several thousand years. To this day, many mechanical presses can be found that prepare olive oil in the same way our ancestors did thousands of years ago.

The first stage in olive oil production comes with the harvesting of the olives. This usually happens between November and January, depending on the olive variety and the ripening stage of the fruits.
The second stage involves pressing the olives, which produces a thick paste.
The third stage is centrifugation, which actually separates the oil and water from the paste.
The fourth stage involves separating the olive oil from the remaining amount of water.

Up to this point, the production process of unrefined olive oil stops. From here on, if an olive oil is extra virgin, it is bottled directly, and if it has higher acidity and still contains some impurities, it goes for refining.

You can see the full process of producing extra virgin olive oil in the video of one of the best refineries in the world - Casas de Hualdo.

The refining process includes thermal treatment and/or the addition of various raw materials, such as old and fermented olives and/or chemicals, during which all the beneficial substances of the olive oil are completely lost.

What are the beneficial properties of olive oil?

When we talk about beneficial properties, it is necessary to make clear that they are contained in unrefined olive oil. As we have already mentioned, the refining process of olive oil removes its beneficial qualities. In refined olive oils, to which virgin olive oils have been added, there are minimal amounts of components that promote our health.

To begin with, it is necessary to mention that olive oil contains powerful antioxidant properties due to the presence of polyphenols (plant substances that protect the cell structure).
Another beneficial effect is its strong anti-inflammatory action, due to the compound oleocanthal found in extra virgin olive oil. This compound is of great importance to medicine, as it has been proven to prevent the development of cancer cells.
It is impossible not to mention that extra virgin olive oil regulates cholesterol levels in the blood, by reducing LDL cholesterol (the bad type) and accordingly lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. A hat trick for olive oil in this area.
Stimulates insulin production, improving its absorption. Thus, it regulates blood sugar levels and is often included in the diet of people suffering from diabetes.

And all these beneficial effects are far from the only ones.

Full information and the latest discoveries can be read at Beneficial substances in extra virgin olive oil and their properties.

How can I use olive oil?

There is quite a stigma on the internet about using olive oil for cooking. The most common myth is that heating olive oil causes it to lose its flavor and nutritional qualities. Another common claim is that frying in olive oil is carcinogenic because at high temperatures, the beneficial substances start to break down and harmful ones are released.

Medical data, however, show that when testing the characteristics of various edible vegetable oils, olive oil proves to be the most stable fat for cooking, which loses only about 20% of its nutritional value during heat treatment, even with prolonged cooking, and it is also the fat that transfers the greatest amount of its beneficial substances to food when frying

(data from a study with virgin olive oil, published January 2022).

But cooking, frying, and using olive oil for salad dressing are far from its only beneficial uses. Since ancient times, olive oil has been widely used in cosmetics, medicine, lighting, and more.
Read more at Interesting facts about Olive Oil.

How to choose your olive oil?

When it comes to making decisions in choosing your olive oil, several main factors always play a role:

Price - It is clear to all of us that this is one of the major factors influencing our choice of olive oil. The reasons for the high price of “liquid gold” are mainly three: its production is limited to a few regions worldwide; there is no local olive oil production in our country; the quality and type of olive oil. Although the price of standard extra virgin easily exceeds 30-35 BGN/L, its health benefits are far more important.
Packaging - Did you know you can easily distinguish quality olive oil from poor quality just by the packaging? Since olive oil does not like direct light, the best quality olive oils are usually stored in dark-colored glass bottles, or painted ones for small packages (in rare cases, foil-wrapped ones can be found). Large packages are usually offered in metal tins and very rarely plastic bottles (usually in sizes over 2L, intended for restaurants or deep fryers).
Variety - the taste of olive oil varies greatly due to many factors, but mainly the variety. There are over 2000 olive varieties, of which over 700 are officially accepted for olive oil production. Some have a more fruity taste, like Arbequina, which is often recommended for salad dressing or frying; others have a more pungent taste and light aroma, like Picual, often used for cooking and frying; others have a heavy bitter aftertaste, like Manzanilla. There are also many blends of different varieties that combine their specific taste and aroma qualities. Choosing them is a matter of your personal preferences.
Origin - you can easily recognize good olive oils from not so good ones by their origin. If the label lists several countries as origin, we advise you to leave it where you found it, as this inevitably indicates processing and low product quality. Truly good olive oils are produced immediately after harvesting from the tree, with good extra virgin being bottled instantly after extraction from the fruit.
Type of olive oil - if it is a matter of direct consumption, it absolutely must be extra virgin. Above, in the types of olive oil, we have described the reasons. For those of you who cannot afford to cook and fry with extra virgin or virgin olive oil, we recommend it to be of the pomace type (its variety is a mix of pomace and extra virgin), or olive oil (Olive Oil), which still contains about 10-15% extra virgin or virgin olive oil. Keep in mind that these types of olive oils contain a higher amount of trans fats than monounsaturated ones.

How should I store olive oil?

To keep your olive oil in the best possible condition, it is necessary to store it:

Dark - light causes it to ferment faster.
Cool - prolonged exposure to heat reduces its beneficial properties, so do not leave it near the stove.
In a closed bottle - oxygen reduces the antioxidant properties of olive oil.

With proper storage, olive oil can last up to 2 years from the bottling date. It is good to keep in mind that refined olive oils last much less time.

What are the advantages of olive oil over other vegetable oils?

Data from various studies indicate that extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest of all edible vegetable oils, with the highest percentage content of:

Nutrients - vitamins E and K, minerals sodium, potassium, iron.
Polyphenols - substances responsible for reducing bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
Antioxidants - much higher values than other organic vegetable oils.

Also, although its smoke point is low, the nutrients break down much more slowly than in other vegetable fats, and the oil itself is much more stable at high temperatures. The refined sunflower oil we use daily is made up of trans fats, responsible for raising LDL cholesterol levels (the one that clogs arteries and blood vessels).

Which are the highest quality olive oils in the world?

In conclusion, we add information about the top extra virgin olive oils in the world. According to data from EVOOLEUM, one of the organizations monitoring the quality of extra virgin olive oils, the award for the best olive oil in the world in 2022 also went to the Spanish.

Spain is also known as a country that produces almost half of the world's olive oil, with over 70% of it produced in their precious region of Andalusia.

You can read more information about Spanish olive oil in Interesting facts about olive oil, and here you can find selected varieties of high-quality Spanish olive oil.

Despite its undeniable qualities, Bulgarians are still somewhat prejudiced against olive oil, and rightly so, judging by what we find in the commercial market. The fact is that over 75% of the olive oils on store shelves in our country do not meet the classification for extra virgin olive oil.

That's why we created this guide to help you choose quality olive oil.