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The term EVO, referred to olive oil, is the acronym of extra virgin olive oil so “Evo Oil” has been coined to distinguish and differentiate extra virgin olive oil from olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil (EVO) is the highest quality product and, on the label, it is defined as a superior category Olive oil obtained directly from milling the olives by mechanical processes. This extraordinary food is obtained by cold extraction, also known as cold pressing, as required by EEC Regulation no. 2568/91 and subsequent updates. All operations take place at a controlled temperature of maximum 27 degrees.
The main requirements that evo oil must have in order to be places on the market as extra virgin olive oil are: the acidity not exceeding 0.8% and the organoleptic score that must be equal to or higher than 6.5 (the organoleptic characteristics refer mainly to three parameters: colour, smell, and taste). If an evo oil does not have these characteristics, it will never be an extra virgin olive oil, but can be classified as virgin olive oil, olive oil or olive-residue oil. Moreover, the place of production of the olives must be indicated on the label.
In 2009 with an Italian project of the CNR – National Research Council, as part of a program of the Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry, the Identity Card of extra virgin olive oil was created (CDI OEVO), which contains all the oil information including the mapping of all the geographical areas where EVO oil is produced so that it can be traced back in the future with an ad hoc test to the production area of a given extra virgin olive oil that accompanies it throughout the productive chain, from its origin to the consumer’s table.
At the moment in Italy there are 695 surveyed cultivars of olives and this unique and extraordinary peculiarity, together with the different areas of the national territory dedicated to the production of extra virgin olive oil, allows the production of many different varieties of EVO oil for intensity, smells and aromas. There are 43 varieties of extra virgin olive oil protected by PDO certification and 1 by an PGI certification, which identify products originating in a place, region or locality whose qualities and characteristics are linked to the particular geographical environment in which they are produced following a certain specification.
This is why EVO oils are not all the same and those of higher quality are generally characterised by the following quality characteristics:
1 An extremely low acidity that does not exceed 0.5%.
2 A strong fruity scent of freshly mown grass, artichoke or cardoon,
green tomato and fresh olives.
3 A slightly bitter and a bit spicy taste, a very important qualitative
index that highlights a high content of polyphenols.
4 They are produced from Italian olives and are often protected by PDO, PGI and organic certification.
5 The best evo oils are stored at controlled temperature and
packaged in containers such as dark glass bottles, stainless or tin containers
with hermetic closure that protect them from light and air to avoid
qualitative decay.
6 A high cost because in order to produce a litre of good extra virgin olive oil you need from 5 to 7 kg of olives.
EVO oil is the main food of the Mediterranean Diet. Its nutraceutical properties are now confirmed by countless scientific researches. Nutraceutical is a term coined in the late 1980s.
Dr Stephen De Felice, in 1989, in fact framed as nutraceuticals all those nutrients contained in food, which have beneficial effects on health.
Most of them have plant origin and are found in fruits and vegetables, such as fibre, soya protein, phytosterols and polyphenols (extra virgin olive oil).
They have the ability to reduce the free radicals that our body normally produces, strengthening our immune system.
Therefore, the daily use of EVO oil is fundamental for our health.
Extra virgin olive oil is a highly energetic food. In fact, 100 grams of extra virgin olive oil provide 884 calories and contain 14 grams of saturated fatty acids, 11 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids and 73 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as small amounts of sodium, calcium, potassium, vitamin E and iron. For this reason, the consumption of extra virgin olive oil can take place every day but sparingly, about 4 tablespoons per day, keeping in mind that there may be variations in diet between adults and children.
Evo oil is a good fat precisely for the benefits that is able to bring to our metabolism, thus it is important to choose extra virgin olive oil carefully, not to rely on products that cost little of dubious origin and prefer extra virgin olive oil extracted with cold pressing that is important for the preservation of polyphenols. It is better to consume extra virgin olive oil raw because cooking changes polyphenols and fats.
Evo oil must be kept and stored away from heat.
Extra virgin olive oil is cholesterol-free, is extremely rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (over 77%): oleic acid 76%. It provides 8% of polyunsaturated fatty acids: linoleic acid 7.1% and linolenic acid 0.7%. Low in saturated fat (about 15%): palmist acid 11%, stearic acid 3.2% and arachidonic acid 0.8%.
The high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid, makes the EVO oil particularly resistant and stable at high temperatures; it is, therefore, ideal for frying, having its smoke point between 195 and 210 degrees.
The best relation between omega 6 and omega 3, similar to breast milk, makes it the best seasoning fat for everyone’s diet: adults, children, and babies. In addition to this particular composition, we must not overlook the presence of additional components that are very interesting from a biological point of view:
1 Polyphenols: substances with a powerful antioxidant action whose content is directly proportional to bitter and spicy notes of extra virgin olive oil; the higher quality evo oils can contain is over 250 mg/kg.
2 Vitamin E: a strong antioxidant vitamin, acts as a weak vasodilator, antithrombotic and strengthens the walls of the capillaries; regulates hormonal production and tends to encourage an increase in good cholesterol. 100 ml of EVO oil contain about 22.4 mg.
3 Squalene: an antioxidant substance
Extra Virgin Olive Oil in nutrition.
Extra virgin olive oil is highly digestible and it is recommended in weaning by adding it to food from the first months of life. It provides the organism with oleic acids, essential for the development of the brain and the mineralisation of bones.
It is a readily available energy reserve; thus, it becomes important during adolescence because it is a growing age that requires a lot of energy.
The adulthood is the age when you need to make important food – dietary and even lifestyle – choices. They will be the health insurance for future years. In this period of your life, it is appropriate to balance the caloric and protein intake (preferring vegetable and animal proteins) and to do some physical activity. EVO oil becomes fundamental in our nutrition and, for being a vegetable fat, it should be preferred to animal fats and is essential as a basic ingredient in our meals.
As we become elder and older, our organism undergoes a natural and progressive decay. Muscle mass (lean mass) and bone mass decrease, while fat mass tends to increase. Even in this case, a healthy and correct diet can help us to effectively counteract this trend. Extra virgin olive oil is once again very useful because, in addition to its authenticity and high digestibility, facilitates digestion and promotes the absorption of vitamins and minerals, besides counteracting the lack of appetite and, thanks to its laxative power, improves the regulation of the intestine.
Where the balance of diet reaches its climax is in the nutrition of a person who practises sport. An athlete needs an ad hoc nutrition in order to obtain the best possible performance. Moreover, it should not alter the target weight, but recover the energy consumed and the stress to which his/her body has been subjected to for his/her performance. Meals consisting of energetic foods, highly digestible, rich in vitamins and in fats (which represent a very useful energy reserve for physical efforts) cannot fail at contemplating the use of extra virgin olive oil that, with its nutritional characteristics, meets these needs.
Particular attention goes to pregnant women. During this period, you need more calories and protein. Two tablespoons of EVO oil in your daily diet, with their component of essential fatty acids, together with the intake of (preferably vegetable: soy, legumes, etc.) protein can effectively fulfil the task of delivering a perfectly healthy baby. The plant origin of Extra virgin olive oil, finally, makes it a fundamental ingredient in vegetarian and vegan diets and does not cause any food intolerance. Ultimately, we can surely say that EVO oil is among the healthiest foods in the Mediterranean diet. The ideal daily quantity to be included in our diet is three tablespoons. Although its resistance to heat is high (smoke point at 210°) and thus it is excellent for cooking, raw consumption remains the most recommended.