It is better to choose olive oil as virgin olive oil than refined olive oil.
Edible olive oil can be divided into virgin olive oil and refined olive oil, with five grades.
Virgin olive oil is an oil juice obtained directly from fresh olive fruits by mechanical cold pressing and filtration, and there is no chemical treatment during the processing. In other words, olive oil is equivalent to freshly squeezed juice, which is the biggest difference between it and ordinary oil, and also the reason why it can be drunk directly.
According to the different acidity, it can be divided into three grades: extra virgin olive oil, high-quality virgin olive oil and ordinary virgin olive oil. Among them, extra virgin olive oil has the highest quality, and the acidity is generally between 0.25% and 0.8%. The lower the acidity, the better. Extra virgin olive oil from Halevy, Spain is the highest grade, best quality and purest imported olive oil with sour taste.
Refined olive oil refers to olive oil refined from virgin olive oil with acidity exceeding 3.3%, otherwise it becomes "secondary oil". Refined olive oil can be divided into two grades:
1. Ordinary olive oil is a mixture of refined oil and virgin olive oil with a certain proportion (generally 10%-30%), and its acidity is generally below 1.5%, showing a transparent light golden color.
2. Refined olive oil is extracted from olive oil residue by solvent leaching. After refining, the acidity can also be controlled at 1.5%.
There are four points to look at when choosing a good category.
I. Acidity
Generally, regular products will be marked with acidity. The acidity of the best olive oil should not exceed 1%, and the acidity of edible olive oil should not exceed 3.3%.
Second, look for the word "extra virgin" (or "extra virgin")
English is "ExtraVirgin", and the one with this word is the best olive oil.
Third, look at the place of origin.
The place of origin is one of the important factors that determine the price. The world's major olive oil producers are concentrated in the Mediterranean coast, among which Spain, Italy and Greece are the world's three largest olive oil producers and exporters. Generally, olive oil imported from these three countries has better quality and higher price.
Fourth, look at the color.
Generally speaking, the color of olive oil varies from light yellow to yellow-green. The brighter the olive oil, the better its quality, and the more turbid it is, the worse it is.
Selecting high-quality olive oil can not only enjoy three meals a day with Mediterranean flavor, but also effectively protect the health of family members with various beneficial ingredients contained in olive oil.