Olive-picking techniques

Olives are delicate and need to be picked with care in order to preserve their flavour and maximize the oil from each fruit.

Olives are still picked by hand; large, heavy nets are spread below the tree making sure that there are no gaps between the trunk and the ground – this way no olives will be lost. On steep slopes the nets will need to be lifted at the lower end to prevent the olives rolling downhill. Practiced harvesters will not pick fallen olives and these are usually be overripe and will spoil the delicate flavour of the oil.

In Italy there is a 2-week window for harvesting; usually mid to end of November. It’s a fine balance between oil content within the fruit and optimal ripeness. Using ladders pickers reach the ripe fruit either by hand or using a small rake or comb device; leaves and any large stalks are removed at this stage. The olives are then packed in mesh-sided crates which allow air to circulate and immediately dispatched for pressing.

Olive oil production The critical factor in retaining the full flavour of olive oil is the speed with which the olives reach the press. Many producers will not store their olives until all are harvested, instead they will transport them in freshly-picked batches. It is that first cold pressing from just-picked olives that yields the precious and intensely-flavoured extra-virgin olive oil. This has to be achieved using only physical pressing; no chemicals or heat processes are allowed if the oil is to have the title of extra-virgin bestowed on it.

The traditional method of pressing involves the olives being washed and any remaining leaves being removed. The olives, including the stone are then ground into a pulp using either stainless steel drums or more traditionally, granite grindstones.

At this point some producers who value the purity of their oil above all else will only collect oil from the very first pressing. Others will include a further step which involves laying the olive pulp on mats and pressing further to extract even more precious oil.

Olive oil tasting is fast becoming a fashionable activity for those visiting Italy in the late autumn. The tantalizing taste of freshly-pressed olives can only be described as slightly peppery and sparkling with a lightness of taste and colour unique to Italian organic, cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil.

The health properties of olive oil
There are many claims for the health benefits within the purer olive oils. Gradually many of these are becoming substantiated by scientific research and testing. By switching to using olive oil as the primary dietary fat and adopting a Mediterranean diet; heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even diabetes and several cancers can be to some extent be mitigated.

A healthy heart
Extensive recent research in Greece (CARDIO2000 case-control study), has determine that the usage of olive oil alone will remarkably decrease the risk of coronary heart disease – up to 47% in some cases. However, the introduction of other fats negated this benefit so olive oil needs to be the ONLY fat consumed.

Importantly, in 2004 the Federal Drug Administration in the USA allowed olive oil packaging and labelling to claim it is “beneficial in protecting against the risk of coronary heart disease when approximately 2 tablespoons (23g) of olive oil are consumed per day. This is due to the MUFA (monounsaturated fat) within the olive oil.

How to make the most of olive oil in your diet:
1. Instead of butter or other spreads (even olive oil-based ones which have much of the benefit processed out of them) try pouring a little extra-virgin olive oil into a shallow dish and use it for dipping bread or for drizzling over vegetables or a salad. You’ll be amazed as the wonderful flavour the oil has and how it complements other foods.
2. Why not add balsamic vinegar or flavours such as herbs or chilli to your oil for some variety.
3. Add the oil to food AFTER cooking to maximise health and flavour properties. Cooking with the oil will remove much of the goodness present within it.
4. Store in an opaque container in a cool place as the vitamin E and phenols present in olive oil can be destroyed by heat and light. Do not place your oil in the fridge as it will congeal. Whilst this process can be reversed there will be some compromise in the taste of your olive oil so it is best avoided altogether.

Lowering cholesterol the tasty way!
Further research has shown that extra-virgin olive oil is rich in phenols which work on preventing the formation of blood clots – something those with high cholesterol levels can be prone to. This is can often occur after mealtimes as this is when exceptionally high levels of fat can be found in the blood. Test results from the EUROLIVE studies (consisting of groups from Spain, Denmark, Finland, Germany and Greece) have shown that the higher the polyphenolic content of the olive oil the higher the increase in levels of HDL – also known as ‘good cholesterol’. The highest levels can be found in extra-virgin olive oil, followed by virgin and then basic olive oil.

However, the importance of not overdoing it was also noted. By consuming more that a couple of tablespoons a day you could be doing more harm than good. It’s also important to not consume the olive oil IN ADDITION but INSTEAD OF to other fats.

Promoting healthy innards
Helicobacter pylori is an intestinal bacteria which has been known to cause stomach ulcers and also gastric cancer by creating unsustainable levels of irritability within the gut.

The same polyphenols which help reduce cholesterol also act as an antibacterial agent, helping suppress bacteria that have become increasingly resistant to chemically-developed antibiotics. Extra-virgin olive oil is one of the few edible oils that is consumed unrefined and was therefore of interest to the scientists.
Further tests are scheduled to be carried out to categorically confirm the relationship between extra-virgin olive oil and its natural antibacterial attributes.

Reduce your waistline and safeguard your health The types of fat you consume may affect where fat deposits accumulated on your body. Increasingly a correlation is being made between where on your body you gain weight and the heightened risk of type 2 diabetes.

A high carbohydrate but not necessarily a high fat diet tends to increase abdominal fat and increase the exposure to type 2 diabetes. However the diet rich in olive oil not only prevents stomach fat accumulation but also helped with increasingly regulating sugar and fat metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity thus decreasing diabetes risks.

Summary
So there you have it; scientific as well as anecdotal proof that one of nature’s most wonderful products is also the ultimate super-food.