Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The olive tree is a symbol of Mediterranean culture. For centuries, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs developed the cultivation of olive groves and introduced techniques for extracting the oil contained in the fruit of the olive tree, called olive or olive. Since the first olive trees arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, the consumption of olive oil has been expanding and becoming part of a culture, a culture and a way of life that today is called the “Mediterranean diet”.

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil, and within Spain is Jaen as the region with the highest concentration of olive groves in the world. From north to south and east to west in the Iberian Peninsula olive oil is produced, with the only exception of the Cantabrian coast.

From the Cortijuelo de San Benito we want to spread the culture and knowledge of this magnificent and typical Spanish product; its places of production, the cooperatives and mills where the best olive oils are produced, its people and methods of extraction and work.

The olive tree:

The olive tree (olea europeae) is the characteristic tree of the Mediterranean. A tree present in our history and religion. A tree that relates to beauty, majesty and wisdom.

Olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is a vegetable fat extracted from the fruit of the olive tree, called olive or olive. It is extracted only by pressing or other physical method without addiction or manipulation with another chemical.

The designation of extra virgin olive oil is reserved exclusively for the highest quality oil extracted only by physical means and at low temperatures without ever exceeding 30ºC.

The extra virgin olive oil is a true olive juice in its most natural expression and retains extraordinary organoleptic virtues. In addition to its organoleptic pleasures, the extra virgin olive oil has a magnificent nutritional and medicinal virtues.

In Spain we find more than 200 varieties of olive trees; picual, cornicabra, arbequina, lechín, manzanilla, gordal, an endless number of varieties that together with the characteristics of each microclimate, make extra virgin olive oil a culture.

Brief history of the olive tree

The origin of olive oil dates back to 4 000 BC. in the Fertile Crescent that runs from the Tigris River to the Nile River, as demonstrated by mills found in this area. A cross between an African and an Oriental variety, resulting in a kind of oil-rich nuts.

It is believed that the first olive groves were planted in the extensive area from Syria to Canaan as early as 5000 BC. until early 3000 B.C. From this time onwards, the use of olives for the production of olive oil was known, but in the Upper Palaeolithic (12,000 BC) our primitive people already used the uncrossed variety.

Around 2000 BC, olive oil was first used for cosmetic purposes in Egypt. Later they began to use it for food, being one of the basic products of their food, which was marketed and imported from Crete.

The Greeks did not receive olive oil until the middle of the 2nd millennium. C next to the Mycenaean conquest of Crete, according to documents from that time that testify to this. Later, with the Hellenic civilization and an advance of civilization, olive oil played an important role in society. From the 7th century B.C. onwards, the Greeks expanded the cultivation and production of olive oil to Italy.

The olive tree arrived in Spain thanks to the Phoenicians, a great merchant people, who introduced it around the 11th century BC in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. After a very good adaptation of this tree to our climate, this land would become one of the main areas of olive oil production. The Phoenicians also introduced the olive tree to the Maghreb and Sardinia.

With the arrival of the Roman Empire, the coasts of Tripolitania, the province of Betica and the French Mediterranean became large areas of olive oil production during the Roman Empire. The province of Betica, within the Roman Hispania, would achieve great economic splendour thanks to its oil production.

With the collapse of the Roman Empire and the arrival of invaders from the peoples of Central Europe, there was a recession in the consumption of olive oil and its consumption was replaced by animal fats. In Visigoth Spain, many olive groves are abandoned.

The new momentum comes with the Muslim conquest. They brought with them new varieties of olive trees, new techniques and an increase in their consumption. The cultivation of olive groves expanded considerably during this period and the first olive groves arrived in Madrid.

After the expulsion of the Muslims from the peninsula, periods of expansion alternated with abandonment until the 18th century, when production began to stabilise. Finally in the 20th century a new expansion begins until today.

Olive oil composition

Extra virgin olive oil consists mainly of triglycerides, and in a smaller proportion of free fatty acids, glycerol, phosphatides, pigments, and to a very small extent carbohydrates, proteins, aromatic compounds, sterols, fatty alcohols and unidentified resinous substances.

The components of the oil can be divided into two main groups:

Saponifiable fraction: in this group would enter the triglycerides that constitute between 98 and 99% of the total oil and a very small portion of fatty acids.
Unsaponifiable fraction: This is where all the minor components that make up about 1.5 and 0.5 € of the total olive oil would come in. In spite of being a very low fraction, they are of great importance giving the oil great stability, increasing its life, taste, aroma and nutritional properties.

Fatty acids:

The fatty acid composition of each extra virgin olive oil varies depending on soil conditions, climate, olive variety and year. However, oleic fatty acid is found in majority proportions in all of them. Oleic fatty acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid.

Triglycerides:

Triglycerides form the majority of the saponifiable fraction and give it the physical constitution of the oil.

Triglycerides are linked esters of glycerin, giving rise to glycerides (mono-, di- and triglycerides) and phosphatides. Esters can also be found in fatty alcohols with a linear or terpenic structure (waxes).

Minor components:

These fraction components do not constitute between 1.5 and 0.5 % of the total extra virgin olive oil. Components with a complex and unique nature of olive oil with extraordinary organoleptic and nutritional properties.

Some of them are only found in extra virgin olive oils, and are more abundant the fresher the oil and the higher the quality. Refining processes or oxidation itself eliminate or reduce the content of these components.

Among the minor components of major importance, we highlight:

Hydrocarbons:

They constitute between 30 and 50 % of the unsaponifiable fraction. The two main hydrocarbons found in olive oil are squalene and α-carotene. Squalene acts as a biochemical precursor in sterol lip synthesis. To a lesser extent we find β-carotene, which acts as a precursor of vitamin A.

Triterpene alcohols:

The main triterpenic alcohols found in olive oil are erythrodiol and uvaol. These compounds are very important for detecting oil fraud by adding pomace oils to the oil.

Another important alcohol is cycloartenol, very interesting from a nutritional point of view to help us lower our cholesterol level.

Esterols:

They are components that allow to demonstrate the authenticity of an extra virgin olive oil. The sterol β-sitosterol usually constitutes more than 90% of the total sterols and the Δ⁷-sup>-estigmastenol is usually less than 0.5% of the total sterols.

The compound β-sitosterol is a very beneficial component for the body by blocking the body’s absorption of cholesterol, thus helping us to control our blood cholesterol levels.

Tocopherols:

The following tocopherols stand out: α-tocopherol or vitamin E, compounds very interesting for their great antioxidant power, reducing the risk of suffering degenerative and cardiovascular diseases.

Polyphenols:

They are compounds of a very complicated chemical nature, soluble in aqueous media that provide great stability to the oil, aroma, flavour and colour.

Among them we can highlight the tyrosol and the hydroxytyrosol from the hydrolysis of the oleoeurpein, a typical compound of the olive and that gives it its typical bitterness. In the oil we also have benzoic acid and cinnamic acid, a compound that gives a ripe fruit flavour to the oils.

Volatile and aromatic compounds:>

They are compounds of very different nature that give olive oil its fragrance and flavour. Compounds such as: hydrocarbons, phenols, ketones, esters, terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes…. Their quantity and composition vary in each oil according to its freshness and quality, variety and the soil and climate conditions of the olive tree.

Pigments:

Compounds that give color to the oil, among them we find: chlorophylls, pheophytes and carotenoids.

Main properties of extra virgin olive oil

The countries of the Mediterranean basin have maintained common patterns in their eating habits that have become popular under the name of the Mediterranean diet. A diet based on three fundamental Mediterranean crops: wheat, olive trees and life, which has taken shape in the footsteps of different civilisations over hundreds of centuries.

The Mediterranean diet consists mainly of the abundant consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals and legumes with a main source of fat, extra virgin olive oil. A fat that must be consumed every day in raw, fried or other cooked form. In addition, a moderate consumption of dairy products, fish, eggs and poultry is recommended.

The Mediterranean diet is characterised by low consumption of processed foods and saturated fats and high in products rich in nutrients (fibre, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals). The Mediterranean diet is a balanced and healthy diet, which together with moderate physical exercise significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other degenerative diseases.

Beneficial components of extra virgin olive oil

The benefits of any food always depend on its nutrient content and the absence of undesirable compounds. The extra virgin olive oil is a magnificent food that provides us with energy and a great amount of nutrients.

The extra virgin olive oil as a lipid is essential for the proper functioning of our body, because lipids act in the synthesis of steroid hormones, such as: glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids, sex hormones, vitamins, bile acids, protaglandins and thromboxanes, among the most prominent.

In addition, olive oil contains two types of fatty acids that are necessary for the growth of children, , the skin, the reproductive system and the metabolism in general and cannot be synthesized by the same organism, we speak of linoleic and linolenic fats. The oil as grease acts as a transport vehicle for soluble vitamins (A. D. E and K).

Fatty acids:

Olive oil is mainly made up of monounsaturated fatty acids (the oleic acid) and contains moderate amounts of linoleic and linolenic acids, all of which are essential for our health.

Oleic acid brings great benefits to our health, which is part of our cell membranes, favouring their permeability and fluidity. This allows a better performance of vital functions by reducing the deterioration and aging of our body.

Minor components:

Tocopherols: Tocopherols such as α-tecoferol is a precursor of vitamin E, a great antioxidant very important to stop cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and degenerative diseases.

Phenols: Other great antioxidants, which keep olive oil in perfect condition over time and against heating processes such as frying. There are several types of phenols: tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein and lignans, all of them with great anti-cancer properties.

Esterols: Among the most important in olive oil we have the βsitosterol that helps to lower the LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad and raise the good, HDL and also reduces the risk of suffering different types of cancer.

Hydrocarbons: Among them is squalene, precursor of the synthesis of cholesterol and steroid hormones, very important for the proper functioning of our body. Recent research shows that this hydrocarbon has antioxidant properties, acting effectively against some types of cancer.

In this group we also have beta-carotene, a precursor compound of vitamin A that gives the oil its yellow colour.

Triterpenes: Among the most important tripertenes in olive oil are oleanolic and masilinic acid and the alcohols erythrodiol and uvaol.

Oleanolic acid and erythrodiol alcohol have anti-inflammatory properties. Masilinic fatty acid has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

In short, we can say that extra virgin olive oil brings great benefits to our health in the field of cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, oxidation and fight against many types of cancer.

The best extra virgin olive oils in Spain: Jaén, Córdoba

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, on average producing 50% of the total. In recent decades, Spain has gone from producing only a volume of olive oil to taking care of the sector and producing the best extra virgin olive oils in the world.

The provinces of Jaén and Córdoba are among the areas with the greatest olive oil production in Spain. As the largest producers, we find here a large quantity of very select oils: Oro Bailen. Castillo de Canena, Cortijo la Torre, El Empiedro, knolive and many more.

Among other oils of great quality we can name those of Casas de Hualdo, Fuenroble, Oro del Desierto, Segorbe Nostrum, Vieiru.

Organic or conventional extra virgin olive oil

With the increase in the awareness of caring for the environment and our health, organic products have emerged, including extra virgin olive oil.

Organic production seeks to respect the environment as much as possible by not using chemicals that can damage the wild flora and fauna. Another of the aspects that organic production allows is to make the consumer aware of all the processes and applications that are given to the field.

However, both organic and conventional extra virgin olive oils have passed rigorous quality controls and in none of them will we find any trace of chemistry.

At Cortijuelo de San Benito we believe that the freshness and good conservation of extra virgin olive oil is more important than whether it is organic or not.

Where to buy extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil can be bought in almost any food store. A basic product of the Mediterranean diet. However, finding a good extra virgin olive oil year round, at a good price and with advice is not so easy.

From El Cortijuelo de San Benito, a shop specialising in extra virgin olive oil located in the municipality of Las Rozas in Madrid or in our online shop you will find the best selection of extra virgin olive oil in Spain. In addition, you will have the best advice and prices on the market.

Why not buy a cheap oil

There is the well-known saying that cheap is expensive’. If you think you have found a bargain with olive oil and you have bought it at a very good price, I have to tell you that you are very confused. The extra virgin olive oils have different qualities and with time and poor conservation they deteriorate. A cheap olive oil is synonymous with low quality.

In the Cortijuelo de San Benito we have studied, visited and tested the oils from all our olive mills and cooperatives from which we sell their oil in order to offer you only the highest quality extra virgin olive oils. We know and could sell cheaper oils, but that is not our goal. In our shop we only sell quality products at the lowest possible price.

Sources:

The english newspaper BBC