Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are mixtures of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fats from seeds. Olive oil, palm oil, and rice bran oil are examples of fats from other parts of fruits. In common usage, vegetable oil may refer exclusively to vegetable fats which are liquid at room temperature. Vegetable oils are usually edible.
Omega-6 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the n-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the methyl end.
The smoke point, also referred to as the burning point, is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to produce a continuous bluish smoke that becomes clearly visible, dependent upon specific and defined conditions. Smoke point values can vary greatly, depending on factors such as the volume of oil utilized, the size of the container, the presence of air currents, the type and source of light as well as the quality of the oil and its acidity content, otherwise known as free fatty acid (FFA) content. The more FFA an oil contains, the quicker it will break down and start smoking. The lower the value of FFA, the higher the smoke point. However, the FFA content typically represents less than 1% of the total oil and consequently renders smoke point a poor indicator of the capacity of a fat or oil to withstand heat.
Carapelli is an Italian food company, currently owned by Deoleo, S.A, based in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, which is a small town in the Metropolitan City of Florence, most famous for its extra virgin olive oil. The company was started as a home business in 1893 by Cesira and Costantino Carapelli. Other members of the Carapelli family joined the business and the company rapidly grew in size and popularity, to become the most modernised food company in Italy by the 1940s. Today, Carapelli Firenze SpA is the leading Italian extra virgin olive oil company where 30% of its production is exported to Europe and the Americas.
Avocado oil is an edible oil extracted from the pulp of avocados, the fruit of Persea americana. It is used as an edible oil both raw and for cooking, where it is noted for its high smoke point. It is also used for lubrication and in cosmetics.
Krinos Foods, Inc. is a United States private company based in New York that imports and produces Greek and other Mediterranean foods. It is one of the largest Greek food importers in North America. The company headquarters are in the Long Island City section of Queens, but it has purchased a site to move to the Bathgate Industrial Park in the Tremont section of the Bronx. In addition to New York, the company has manufacturing facilities in Chicago, Toronto, and Montreal.
Bertolli is a brand of Italian food products produced by multiple companies around the world with the trademark owned by Mizkan Holdings. Originating as a brand of extra-virgin olive oil, in which it was the global market leader, pasta sauces and ready meals are now sold under the brand name as well.
Filippo Berio is a brand of olive oils exported from Italy and made of oil from Italy, Greece, Spain and Tunisia. The brand is used for virgin, extra-virgin and 'mild and light' oils, as well as wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, pesto and olives.
Pompeian, Inc. is a food company that was founded in Baltimore in 1906 and produced America's first national brand of imported extra virgin olive oil. Today Pompeian offers a line of olive oils, including Robust Extra Virgin, Smooth Extra Virgin, Organic Extra Virgin, Classic Pure and Extra Light Tasting varieties. Pompeian has the number one selling extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar and grapeseed oil, and offers a wide variety of cooking oils, vinegars, cooking wines and cooking sprays nationwide. Pompeian also carries several Organic products, including Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Balsamic Vinegar and Organic Red Wine Vinegar.
Olive oil regulation and adulteration are complex issues overseen and studied by various governmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, and private researchers across the world. The most frequent type of adulteration is that oil of lower quality is mixed into olive oil.
Aprutino pescarese PDO is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) olive oil, produced in the province of Pescara, in the regions of Abruzzo. It is among the first group of Italian extra virgin olive oils to gain the PDO.
Sabina is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) that applies to the extra virgin olive oil produced in the Sabina region. This area approximately covers the territory originally occupied by the ancient Sabines tribe in the Province of Rome and the Province of Rieti. It is considered to be the first Italian PDO to gain the status, later being followed by Aprutino Pescarese, Brisighella, Collina di Brindisi and Canino.
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil is a 2011 nonfiction book by American author Tom Mueller about olive oil. The book describes the history of olive oil, including its religious, economic, and culinary uses, as well as the current state of the olive oil industry. Extra Virginity asserts that the global olive oil industry is rife with corruption and fraud due to lax governmental regulations, but it also presents stories of individuals, including growers and government officials, who seek to curb such practices and promote genuine extra virgin olive oil. The book also includes an appendix with advice to consumers for choosing good oil. Extra Virginity expands upon "Slippery Business", an article Mueller wrote for The New Yorker in 2007 which described the state of the Italian olive oil industry.
The Los Angeles International Competitions event focuses on the wine, spirits, beer and olive oil industries. Distributors and makers in each industry submit entries to be judged by a panel of experts.
The International Olive Council (IOC) is an intergovernmental organization of states that produce olives or products derived from olives, such as olive oil.
The Picual, also known as Marteña or Lopereña, is an olive cultivar from Spain. Picual olives are the most commonly grown olive today for olive oil production, with production centered in the Spanish province of Jaén. Picual trees are estimated to account for 25% of all olive oil production in the world. Naturally, this varietal is very high in oil content, at 20-27% by weight.
Cooking oil is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. Oil allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while likewise distributing heat, reducing burning and uneven cooking. It sometimes imparts its own flavor. Cooking oil is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips.
Deoleo, S.A. is a Spanish multinational olive oil processing company. It is the world's largest bottler selling brands such as Bertolli, Carapelli, Carbonell, and Koipe. In India, it sells olive oil under brand name Figaro.
Laconiko is a brand of olive oils exported from Peloponnese, Greece, which is in the region of Lakonia. The brand produces a variety of extra virgin olive oils, and flavored olive oils from the Koroneiki variety of olives, balsamic vinegars, fruit vinegars, and wine vinegars. They are included in the Official Index of the World’s Best Olive Oils.
