Pressing Times, The Olive Oil Source Newsletter

UC Davis Moves Forward with Olive Oil Taste Panel

– by Caroline J. Beck

Sensory evaluation is as important as laboratory analysis in judging overall quality and determining extra virgin authenticity in olive oil. Leveraging the extraordinary expertise of educators in the sensory science discipline at University of California Davis, the UC Davis Olive Center is making inroads with a new initiative at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. The new UC Davis Olive Center Tasting Panel will give growers and marketers of olive oil an opportunity to gain deep sensory insight into their products, well beyond standard Read more >>

Alan Greene, "Superfood" Pioneer

– as told to Caroline J. Beck

If you study the career of Alan Greene, you quickly come to the conclusion that he understood something about the importance of “superfoods” long before the nutrition world coined the phrase. Starting his multifaceted agricultural career growing tomatoes in the San Joaquin valley and almonds in central California, he joined the California Olive Ranch in 2003 to Read more >>

The Greener the Oil, the Better its Quality: It's FICTION

– by Nancy Ash, Strictly Olive Oil

The color of olive oil is NOT an indicator of its quality or flavor. Color is determined by the ripeness of the olives at harvest; unripe, green olives create green-hued oil and ripe, purple-black olives produce golden-toned oil. Flavor is determined by several factors, including olive ripeness, type of olive (varietal), soil quality, climate, irrigation practices and milling techniques. Read more >>

The Beauty of Olive Oil

– by Carol Firenze, The Passionate Olive

What do Sophia Loren, Mariah Carey, Jane Seymour and Karina Smirnoff have in common? They all use nature’s beauty secret - olive oil. While most people associate extra virgin olive oil with culinary uses, olive oil has been widely used throughout the ages as a beauty product - adding luster to hair, softening skin and strengthening nails.

For centuries, people of the Mediterranean recognized the beautifying benefits of olive oil. In fact, the first uses of olive oil were actually on the body and not in it. The Minoans documented their use of olive oil and herb essences for Read more >>

To Date or Not to Date, Olive Oil Labeling

– by Nancy Ash, Strictly Olive Oil

In supermarkets, fresh foods are found around the perimeter of the store while the aisles are filled with shelf stable items. Olive oil has always been considered shelf stable, but this is a misnomer because, even in unopened bottles, olive oil ages; and unlike wine, not in a good way. Freshness is a key factor in flavor, yet without dating information provided on labels, consumers have no way to discern how fresh their purchase is.

All olive oil, extra virgin or not, oxidizes as it ages because of the instability of its molecular structure. Although you can extend shelf life by protecting olive oil from the elements that promote oxidation - exposure to light, heat and air - eventually all olive oil becomes rancid. Read more >>

April Pressing Matters

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Olive Oil Mayonnaise

– by Fran Gage, The New American Olive Oil

My husband’s birthday coincides with the start of the asparagus season. When we first moved to California, his birthday dinner always included fresh asparagus. Years later, we still can’t wait to cook those first stalks, a true harbinger of spring.

Lemon olive oil, made by either crushing the citrus along with the olives or by infusing the oil, is a natural companion for asparagus. Read more >>

health topic:

Health Benefits of Polyphenols in Olive Oil

– by Dr. Dean Moyer M.D., Infinite Well-Being

The health benefits of olive oil are well known. Olive oil is the main source of fat shown to be associated with longevity in those persons living in the Mediterranean region.

Scientists have assumed previously that monounsaturated fat (MUFA) contained in olive oil was responsible for wellness and longevity. Recently, researchers have shown that the effects of polyphenols in olive oil are just as important as MUFA, if not more so. Maria Covas and co-workers studied 200 healthy men in six research centers located in five European countries. The participants were assigned to receive a daily administration of 25ml (about 2 tablespoons) of one of three different types of olive oil. The olive oil types had a concentration of polyphenols ranging from 2.7 mg/kg of olive oil (low-type) to 366 mg/kg (high) in the olive oils. Read more >>

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