What are the differences in terms of uses and properties of olive oils produced from early harvest and mature harvest?
Early harvest is the harvesting of olives that are completely green in color from the end of September to the beginning of November. The resulting oil has high bitterness, burning and fruitiness, and low acidity. The ripe harvest is obtained by harvesting the pink and purple olives from mid-November until January. The resulting oil has a softer taste compared to the early harvest, and the acid rate is relatively higher. Since early harvest olive oil is more valuable and rich in content, it is recommended to be consumed raw, while olive oil produced from mature harvest is more suitable for use in meals.
What should be considered when buying olive oil?
Olive oil with a harvest date older than 12 months should not be consumed. Since the mineral ratio in old oils is low, there is no health benefit, and the durability period of olive oil can vary depending on which olive is produced. For example; If the production and storage of oils produced from some Spanish olive varieties is done correctly, olive oil can last up to 2 years. The higher the polyphenol in the olive, the longer the oil can protect itself.
How does the polyphenol value in olives change?
The polyphenol value in olives can vary depending on both the type of olive and the quality of production. Olive oil, the greener the olive is pressed, the higher polyphenols can be obtained. Some producers add the leaf to the olive during production to increase the polyphenol value in olive oil, but the taste of olive oil becomes much more bitter and burning. The fact that olive oil is more bitter and burning does not mean that it is of good quality.
What is cold pressed?
The squeezing process, which is done by only mechanically heating the olive paste (between 25-28 degrees Celsius) without adding anything to the olive paste during production, is called cold pressing. Just as a healthy human body is 36-37 degrees, the internal temperature of the olive fruit in the tree branch is 25-28 degrees. Pressing should be done at its own temperature so that all of the oleic components in the olive can pass into the olive oil.
How to use cold pressed olive oil?
In order to benefit from the contents of cold-pressed olive oils in the best way, they should not be heat-treated during use. It will be more correct to add as much raw oil as you want to your food, which you have cooked in as little oil as possible.
Is olive oil used for frying?
Although we do not recommend frying for health reasons, the best oil to use for frying is olive oil. When we look at other oils, the critical temperatures are 110° for butter, 150° for margarine, 170° for soybean oil, 170° for sunflower oil, 210° for olive oil, 220° for peanut oil and 240° for palm oil. When we look at this table, we see that olive oil is the most suitable oil to be used for frying, considering that we cannot exceed 200 degrees in domestic use conditions.
How should olive oil be stored?
The four main enemies of olive oil are heat, light, oxygen and moisture. Considering these four factors, it should be stored at 13-18 degrees, in the dark (in a place where there is no light), tightly closed in such a way that there is no air gap, preferably in glass or tin packages, away from moisture. If these conditions are met, olive oil will keep its freshness for two years.
Does real olive oil freeze?
Although olive oil is expected to crystallize below +4 degrees, this is definitely not a purity criterion. Because there are many factors of crystallization. There are many factors such as the type of olive used, the technique of obtaining, the growing environment (flat, slope, stony etc.), climate, storage conditions, and waiting time.