Extra Virgin olive oil is a good source of vitamin E.
All olive oil comes from green olives picked from the branches of the olive tree. Oils available to the public include virgin olive oils, refined olive oils and plain, or light, olive oil.
Identification
Olive growers pick, wash and dry the olives first. Processing continues with olives ground by a wheel made of stone, making paste that proceeds into a hydraulic press. The press crushes the olive paste and produces oil. The order of pressing, ripeness of the olive, acidity of the oil, and any additives or extra processing dictates what kind of olive oil is produced.
Types
Three major types of olive oil exist. The most flavorful are the virgin oils, which include extra virgin and virgin. Refined olive oil is that which started out with too much acid; it is put through another process to make the acidity level lower. Plain or light olive oil is a combination of virgin and refined oils. The virgin oil is added to give the refined oil flavor.
Differences
The first pressing of oil from just-ripened olives produces extra virgin oil. Oils labeled as "virgin" olive oil are made from olives that are a little riper than those used in extra virgin oil. It is lower grade than extra-virgin olive oil and has a higher acidity level. Some virgin olive oils have more acid levels than they should. No olive oil should have acidity higher than 3.3 percent, and preferred levels are below 1.5 percent.
Tags: olive oils, acidity level, Extra Virgin, extra virgin, light olive, virgin olive, virgin olive oils