Olive oils: know the differences and be alert

In Ghana today, there are many products paraded in the markets which when consumed can either externally or internally, be very injurious to our health. One of such products is the olive oils which are all over the place in the market. Unfortunately, only a few are genuine but there are many brands on parade.

What is olive oil

Olive oil is a fat obtained from the fruit of the olive tree, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean region where whole olives are pressed to produce olive oil.

Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids MUFAs, may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors by lowering total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.

In addition, some research shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control which can be helpful if you have or are at risk of type 2 diabetes.

The oil is used in cooking, medicine, religion and cosmetics, depending on its quality. Although originating in the Mediterranean countries, today it is used worldwide.

On our local market today, there are different types of olive oils being paraded for sale to the public.

Olive oil is considered to be the queen of oils for its health benefits, strong taste and aroma. You can find different types of olive oils on shelves, depending on their class of nutritional value, taste and method of harvesting, processing and packaging.

Production process

All production begins by transforming the olive fruit into olive paste by crushing or pressing. This paste is then slowly churned or mixed to allow the microscopic oil droplets to agglomerate. The oil is then separated from the watery matter and fruit pulp with the use of a press or centrifugation. After extraction, the solid waste substance, called pomace, still contains a small quantity of oil. Solvents are then used to extract the residual oil from the pomace.

Extra-virgin olive oil - Comes from virgin oil production only, and is of higher quality: among other things, it contains no more than 0.8 per cent acidity and is judged to have a superior taste, having some fruitiness and no defined sensory defects. Derived from the first press of olives, this oil boasts the most full-bodied flavour. It can be used for all forms of savory cooking, including sautéing, stir-frying, roasting and marinating, and is the best choice for bread dipping and salad dressing.

Virgin olive oil - This comes from virgin oil production only, but is of slightly lower quality,with acidity up to 1.5 per cent, and is judged to have a good taste, but may include some sensory defects.

Refined olive oil - This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil, but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. Also, the pronounced taste of extra virgin olive oil is not a taste most people like to associate with their deep fried foods. Refined olive oils are perfectly suited for deep frying foods and should be replaced after several uses
Pure olive oil. This is primarily refined olive oil, with a small addition of virgin or extra virgin to give taste. Pure olive oil is a lower-quality oil than extra-virgin or virgin olive oil, with a lighter colour, more neutral flavour, and oleic acid measuring between three and four per cent. This type of olive oil is an all-purpose cooking oil.

Pomace olive oil - This is obtained by solvent extraction from olive oil pomace (pulp) and often blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil, as it is not from only the fruit of the olive tree, but from also the seeds and other plant waste. It has a more neutral flavour than pure or virgin olive oil, making it unfashionable among connoisseurs; however, it has the same fat composition as regular olive oil. The main disadvantage of the Pomace olive oil is the cancer-causing solvents used for the extraction of the residual oil from the pulp, which can be disastrous in countries in which olive oils are not well regulated to continuously check for standards , since permissible levels of solvents is considered safe.

What the public must understand

Having known the various types of the olive oils and what they can be used for, it is also imperative to know that there are many more labelled products on the market today which are not really olive oils. Some unscrupulous persons have bottled ordinary vegetables oils (decolourised palm oil, soybean oils etc) and labelled them as olive oils and are sold as such.

But what is even more dangerous is the Pomace olive oils which are all over on sale. According to the President of the Dietetics Association of Ghana, Mr Daniel Mensah, the Pomace olive oil is not the best to be sold on the market. According to him, what is on the market presently is overly heated and refined. Again, he said some chemicals which were carcinogenic, had been added to make it smoother to match the quality in terms of looks to the virgin and extra virgin olive oils.

He said when olive pomace was boiled to its highest levels to get it smooth, its value was lost and could be injurious to human health.

Olive oils for spiritual purposes

In many churches today, olive oils are used to bless congregants. Often, the head pastor dips his or her hands in the olive oil and smears it on the faces of who they intend to bless at any point in time. Most of the time, the oil trickles down the faces of those who are blessed and could enter the eye.

There are fears that, with these pomace oils and other fake or adulterated oils being used in recent times, people will ignorantly fall prey to these oils on the market and will allow it to be used on them.

For a while, people may not know but may have some vision problems which could cause blindness.

Way forward
The deception on the market in recent times has increased and many unsuspecting people are falling prey to all kinds of fake products on the market.

As indicated above, there are different times of olive oils on the market but there are those that are international brand names which when used should not cause any health hazards. It is imperative that the public gets aware and be prepared to use the best in order to avoid future avoidable diseases such as blindness or cancer due to the application of ordinary oils branded as olive oils.