Olive oil and cancer-What can be the relation?

Why are some people so much obsessed with consuming olive oil? Is it for its flavor or nutrition? It depends on the perception of those who are prepared to pay a much higher price to buy it in spite of the fact that this is the most adulterated food items in the world. Since it is high cost oil, fraudsters find in this an excellent opportunity to make a fortune in double quick time. On an average a liter of organic olive oil can fetch almost Rs 3000 while the so called extra virgin olive oil with less than 0.8% free fatty acids costs Rs 300-1000 per liter depending on the brand. Though olive oil has been claimed to be helpful in preventing CVD and other arterial diseases, no conclusive scientific evidence has yet been generated to justify the same. No health authority any where in the world allow use of such unqualified claims on the label of the bottle. In Mediterranean countries olive oil is a common cooking medium and across the world it is cherished as an excellent salad oil for dressing. Of the 3 million tons world production Spain accounts for more than 40% followed by Greece and Italy. Greeks consume the highest quantities of olive oil, the annual per capita consumption being a whopping 26 liters! Olive oil contains many phenolic compounds some of which are of significance in human health and therefore unprocessed oil commends high prices as non-exposure to heat protects these phytochemicals. A recent report about the cancer curing property of a particular polyphenolic constituent viz, Oleocanthal if confirmed, may boost the intrinsic value of this plant oil in the coming years. Please read further below.  

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An ingredient found in extra-virgin olive oil called oleocanthal has been known as a compound capable of killing a variety of human cancer cells, but how this process actually played out was not understood. Now, a team of researchers has uncovered not only how oleocanthal destroys cancer cells, but that it is able to do so while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Paul Breslin, a professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University, had thought that oleocanthal killed the cancer cells by targeting a key protein in cancer cells that triggers apoptosis, a process that sees dangerous or damaged cells self-destruct by upsetting the balance of ions in the cell membranes. In investigating this theory, he teamed up with David Foster and Onica LeGendre, two cancer biologists from New York City's Hunter College to more closely examine the process. "We needed to determine if oleocanthal was targeting that protein and causing the cells to die," says Breslin. What first surprised the scientists was how quickly the oleocanthal destroyed the cancer cells. While apoptosis requires between 16 and 24 hours to take effect, the oleocanthal was killing off the cancer cells within 30 minutes to one hour. This led the team to believe that there were some other factors at play. What they discovered was that the oleocanthal was piercing the cancer cell's vesicles, the containers that store the cell's waste. By puncturing these "dumpsters," as Breslin describes them, it creates an outpouring of enzymes that then cause the cell to die. "Once you open one of those things, all hell breaks loose," says Breslin. And when it came to the healthy cells, the researchers found that they remain completely unharmed. While the application of oleocanthal caused a temporary halt in their life cycles, after 24 hours they returned to normal. With the testing thus far carried out in the lab, the researchers say that they will now look to establish the effects of oleocanthal on cancer cells in living animals".

Originally the healthy aspect of oil was more related to the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like oleic acid with some beneficial effect on arterial health but there are less expensive oils like Sunflower oil which has more MUFA than that present in Olive oil (84% vs 72%. If so why go for Olive oil which is 10 times costlier than Sunflower oil? Probably demand for olive oil is driven more because of its delicate flavor imparted to it by the bitter poly phenolic chemicals, numbering of 30 in it expressed during cold mechanical pressing. Also there is a perception that olive oil is a good cosmetic ingredient with beneficial effect on skin besides its use in some pharmaceutical products. Ultimately the price in the market will be determined by the demand-supply dynamics and the prices are bound to rule high as long as its production is restricted to a few countries in the Mediterranean region.

V.H.POTTY
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Looking for virgin olive oil? Here is a tool for easy testing

Olive oil is a much valued "healthy" vegetable oil in great demand through out the world. Whether it is for its health benefits or for its characteristic flavor olive oil is widely prefered as compared to other liquid oils. All edible oils are made of a mixture of fatty acids and glycerol and the ultimate fluidity will depend on the extent of unsaturated fatty acids present in a given oil. As a thumb rule more fluid an oil is, higher can be contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Both MUFA and PUFA are highly regarded for their influence on heart health and other benefits for human beings. Good things some time come with a rider and olive oil is no exception. Because of unsaturated fatty acids, its shelf life is some what restricted as it gets rancid due to oxidation at ambient conditions. Also it attracts hordes of fraudsters to tamper with it by mixing with cheap oils. Incidentally olive oil is the costliest edible oil, the prices being 100-500% more than other vegetable oils. Extra virgin olive oil is a much coveted product made under mild processing conditions so that the rancidity level is practically undetectable and it fetches higher price compared to other grades of olive oils. Recent announcement that a simple device has been designed to confirm whether samples of olive oil are really virgin is being welcomed by the organized industry which has a stake in protecting the USP of virgin olive oil. Here is a take on this new development.

"What does rancid olive oil look like, chemically speaking, and how do you build a device that can quickly, easily and inexpensively test for those signature chemical compounds? That was the daunting task facing the six iGEM team members, the best and brightest of the hundreds who applied to be part of the 2014 UC Davis team. "It's extremely complicated," said Selina Wang, research director for the UC Davis Olive Center and one of four advisers to the 2014 iGEM team. "The chemical methods we have available now are either too crude and don't correlate with sensory traits, or are too time-consuming and require expensive instruments. The students' goal was to generate an affordable device to detect a comprehensive profile of signature rancidity compounds that match what we smell." They're really close. Their electrochemical biosensor — shaped liked an oversized thermometer — comes complete with the computer hardware and software necessary to read rancidity levels in a single drop of oil. "It's not perfect, but we're getting there," said Aaron Cohen, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. Their biosensor will be best suited for producers, buyers and retailers because it's probably too complicated in its current form to easily test olive oil quality at home. But Wang sees a day when a future generation of this technology could be built into every bottle of extra-virgin olive oil to guarantee freshness. "That way, consumers can see at a glance whether their olive oil is starting to turn rancid," Wang said. In the meantime, people throughout the olive oil industry, here and abroad, could benefit from the new biosensor, which the team predicts will retail for about $125. "I think their project has great potential," said David Garci-Aguirre, production manager at Corto Olive Co. in Lodi. "A biosensor that provides an easy, affordable way to help ensure the quality of our olive oil could prove an incredibly useful tool for us, for retailers and especially for consumers. I see this kind of innovation really helping to get good oils into the hands of those who are trying to buy good oils."

The claim by the scholars who worked on this device needs to be independently verified because many a time scholarly research runs into problems when commercially applied.  As a biosensor is used for measuring rancidity in the oil and subsequent computation requiring electronic computing system, the claim that it could be useful to consumers may be some what far fetched and rightly the innovators admit about this limitation. It is good that they are looking further to develop a thermometer sized device amenable for use by consumers is encouraging. Rancidity is usually measured by parameters like peroxide values and other chemical paradigms which can give an approximate indication of the quality of the product but requires laboratory facilities to carry them out. Sensory tests also can differentiate between virgin olive oil and other grades but these tests are some what subjective requiring highly trained taste panelists. The above efforts in evolving a new simple and inexpensive tool for confirming the grade of olive oil are timely and relevant.

V.H.POTTY
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OLIVE POWDER-AN ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCE?

Olive oil is one of the most sought after edible oils in the world and this is reflected by the high prevailing prices in the international market. Its value is probably attributed to presence of healthy components in the fruit like Oleic acid, Polyphenols, Chlorophyll and Squalene, all with high antioxidant properties that can help neutralize the oxy radicals generated at the cellular level which are implicated in human diseases like cancer. While in the liquid form Olive oil is consumed as a salad oil, it is also considered a good cooking oil though its high price bar many consumers from using it regularly. Besides the aversion to fat, now being exhibited by the consumer community world over, will always come in the way of expanding its use in liquid form. Arrival of a host of products in powder form based on this oil is providing the consumers with an alternative to consuming in liquid form and reduce the guilty feeling! Powder form of olive oil based products find more varied uses in hundreds of products to provide the nutrition and improve the functionality. Now comes the news that in stead of whole oil powder, it is possible to make a much more healthy powder by using the pomace left over, after olive fruit pressing to recover bulk of the oil for commercial marketing, which is supposed to be much more nutritious in terms of antioxidants, phytochemicals and dietary fiber. Here is a take on this new development. 

An olive processing coproduct, olive powder was one of about two dozen plant extracts, spices, and herbs that the team evaluated for their potential to combat Escherichia coli O157:H7 and to retard formation of heterocyclic amines during cooking of hamburger patties. E. coli O157:H7 is a leading cause of food sickness in the United States and is blamed for more than 73,000 cases of illness annually. In recent years, many E. coli outbreaks have been traced back to ground beef and have led to the introduction of stringent new food safety rules designed to reduce the occurrence of this microbe, and six of its relatives, in meats, poultry, and other foods. Heterocyclic amines are of concern because they can inadvertently be formed when beef patties are cooked to the doneness recommended for helping kill unwanted microbes, such as E. coli. The two amines monitored in the burger experiment, MeIQx and PhIP, are on the National Toxicology Program's roster of possible carcinogens. For the study, high levels of E. coli O157:H7, along with the plant extract, spice, or herb of interest, were added to the ground beef patties. The patties were then cooked on a griddle until the meat's internal temperature reached 114°F, then flipped and cooked another 5 minutes until the internal temperature reached the recommended 160°F. The amine data showed that olive powder reduced MeIQx by about 80 percent and PhIP by 84 percent. Overall, olive powder was the most effective of the plant extracts (olive, apple, and onion powders) that were tested. Friedman notes that followup studies are needed to pinpoint the compounds in olive powder that are responsible for these effects and to determine whether the amount added in the experiments alters the burgers' taste.

Though the above study is more focused on preservation of hamburger patties where olive powder is reported to be very effective in neutralizing dangerous amines generated during cooking besides acting as an effective antibiotic against the much dreaded virulent E.coli in these products. It must be noted that virulent E.coli, several in number, are proving to be a major hazard in western countries, found in many products claiming precious lives. Therefore this finding, if confirmed, may be truly remarkable in fighting against such food borne infections. What remains unanswered is the identity of the chemical entities that were responsible for the beneficial effects of olive powder. Also uncertain is whether this powder will be equally effective in other food products also. More over addition of olive powder can modify the taste of the products in which it is incorporated depending on the levels required to be used for optimum performance. The trillion dollar palm oil industry in Asia is expected to be benefited if such value added products emerge from the shop floors of their palm fruit milling facilities.   

V.H.POTTY
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"COUNTERFEIT" FOODS-A GLOBALLY ROARING BUSINESS!

Cheating the consumer for making a fast buck is a universal phenomenon, whether in India, China or the US. While consumers can absorb occasional sub-par quality products marketed by some unscrupulous players, it assumes critical dimension when such foods can pose serious health hazards. For example adding water to milk is not directly dangerous
but concocting a milk look alike product made from urea, detergents etc can be really reprehensible and indefensible.
It is interesting that most risky foods churned out by fraudsters posing health risks are more prevalent in developing countries like India while counterfeit foods with doubtful quality are seen more in developed countries. This may probably due to more efficient surveillance and modern infrastructure seen in wealthy countries. According to a recent study economic fraud is more prevalent globally with high priced products like olive oil, saffron, honey etc though mass consumed products do not lag very much behind. Here is an informative piece of report on the subject.  

"Some fear higher world food prices are making food counterfeiting the next big global trend. Counterfeit food is a way to steal millions and put food safety at extreme risk. Obviously, anyone willing to rip off valued brands or products to manufacture counterfeit food outside of any the regulation of any country does not give a rip about food safety. Interpol Police have recently turned up candy bards, fish, cheese, and tomato sauce—all phony—foods that could have ended up in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has its own police force for tackling fraudulent foods and drugs. Counterfeit drugs get most of the attention. The World Bank says consumers pay $30 billion annually for fake drugs with Africa being the hardest. Estimates for how much consumers pay for fake food are a little more fluid. At last month's 9th Annual Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection Summit held in Midtown West, NY, a fact sheet from DuPont said counterfeiting cost U.S. businesses $200 billion to $250 billion annually, affecting 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Food and beverages are only a slice of that, of course, but consider that Russia has documented $3.3 billion in annual losses due just to counterfeit vodka, the total for food and beverage products would probably be staggering".

If the above report is to be believed the cost of counterfeiting branded foods and drugs is staggering with many major brand owners suffering financially from this under-ground activities of fraudsters. More concerned should be the consumers who are cheated out of their hard earned money by enticing them to buy cheaper foods. Can this criminal activity ever be stopped? Probably not as many experts believe that it would be a logistical nightmare if taken up seriously and it is impossible to eliminate frauds completely. A possible option could be to increase the severity of punishment meted out to the food fraudsters such a way it has a strong deterrent effect on those contemplating committing such frauds.

V.H.POTTY
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NEW ANTIOXIDANTS FOR FOODS-POLYMERIZED VERSIONS

Why is that nutrition experts recommend including brightly colored fruits and vegetables in the regular diet? Because these plant crops are rich in antioxidant type of phytochemicals considered helpful in protecting human health from many diseases. One of the most important discoveries in medical science is that due to generation of free radicals with high oxidation potential in the cellular system, there can be many dangers like cancer of different types and if these free radicals are promptly neutralized such risks can be averted. The role of antioxidant is to "kill" these radicals and make them innocuous. Though there are many proven antioxidants present in almost all foods in varying concentrations, their absorption into the blood stream is constrained by their inefficiency in getting across the Gastrointestinal membrane. Recent attempts by a group of scientists in the UK to make these oxygen scavenging phytochemicals more efficient in their activity are being hailed as a breakthrough with far reaching positive implications. Here is a take on this exciting new development in the health food.

"What if you could take a naturally occurring compound and make it stronger so that it could make food last longer, create better flame-retardant material, and possibly develop a cancer- fighting drug? Research chemists at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center believe they may have found an answer to this question. They took a naturally occurring phenolic-based compound and enzymatically polymerized it; this chemical process basically means the compound is reacted to form a long chain of repeating units. "As you make this polymer chain longer, it becomes a more potent anti-oxidant than what you actually find in nature," said Nicole Favreau Farhadi, an NSRDEC research chemist. "(Due to the conjugation of this polymer, it) is more potent than its naturally occurring monomer." Roughly 10 years ago, this process began to be used with epicatechin, an anti-oxidant found in green tea, white tea, red wine, and elsewhere in nature. Research chemists at Natick thought they could use this same tactic for other compounds, such as hydroxytyrosol, one of the most potent antioxidants found in olive oil.  Polymerization in this way is incredibly important because it is relatively simple, now that the process has been formulated, which means polymerizing on a mass scale is feasible. "We reported in two patents the homo- and co-polymerization of hydroxytyrosol for possible application as an anti-oxidant for food, maybe even cancer drugs," said Ferdinando Bruno, also an NSRDEC research chemist. 'Anti-oxidant' seems to be a catch phrase used in magazines, news programs, diets, and even on food labels and elsewhere. This trend may be warranted, though, as free radicals tend to cause more harm than we realize." "When we talk about anti-oxidants as (they) pertain to food, oxygen just wreaks havoc on it," Favreau said. "If you can eliminate or lessen the effect of oxygen on the food, then (it will) last longer. That's why anti-oxidants are so important. You've probably seen how we have oxygen scavengers in rations. The contents of these packets bind with the oxygen, therefore blocking reaction with the compounds in food that cause degradation."

As a chemical reaction is needed to convert the naturally occurring phenolic compounds into more effective antioxidant, the product so formed is considered a synthetic chemical and for use in food products same has to be tested clinically to prove its safety. Probably such efforts in getting approval is time consuming and expensive, it is unlikely that these new generation plant based antioxidants will ever find an entry into foods. The organization which developed this process must strive to get government funding to prove the safety of the products for use in food products. Of course the alternate and easy option to use these polymerized products in non-food industry may be more attractive as it does not involve any elaborate safety assessment.

V.H.POTTY
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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD ADULTERATION-A UNIVERSAL THREAT TO CONSUMERS

The hapless citizens in India can take solace from a recent scholarly report about fraudulent practices adopted by manufacturers of foods world over to get economic benefits at the expense of the consumer. One is familiar with the famous saying of one of the past prime ministers of India describing corruption as universal and not confined to India. Same appears to be true with food adulteration also. It is surprising that the fraudsters are always one step ahead of the safety agencies when it comes to detecting adulteration and their techniques are increasingly becoming more and more sophisticated with time. Food frauds literally constitute a high tech industry because of the enormous economic gains inherent in adulteration. Interestingly costlier the food product, more incentive is available for evolving appropriate methods to mimic the original product with cheap alternatives.Here is a gist of the report that elaborates on economic frauds perpetrated in the US based on reliable data base. 

"Olive oil, milk, honey, saffron, orange juice, coffee and apple juice are the seven most likely food ingredients to be targets for intentional or economically motivated adulteration of food, or food fraud, according to analysis of the first U.S. public database created to compile information on risk factors for food fraud published in the Journal of Food Science. The database was created by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and provides baseline information to assist interested parties in assessing the risks of specific products. It includes a total of 1,305 records for food fraud based on a total of 667 scholarly, media and other publicly available reports. Food fraud is a collective term that encompasses the deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain. A more specific type of fraud is the fraudulent addition of non-authentic substances or removal or replacement of authentic substances without the purchaser's knowledge for economic gain of the seller. According to the authors of the paper, food fraud may be more risky than traditional threats to the food supply because the adulterants used in these activities often are unconventional and designed to avoid detection through routine analyses. "The vast majority of food fraud is primarily technical and economical," said John Spink, associate director with the anti-counterfeiting and product protection program at Michigan State University. "However, there are some cases where there can be serious health consequences as illustrated when melamine was added to infant formula and pet food in order to falsify the level of protein content in these products."

When it comes to food adulteration no other country can beat India because this is a country where every one has unlimited freedom to indulge in such activities with no possibility of retribution. Though food laws that exist are comparable to international ones, there is very little activity at the ground level to monitor or detect adulterated foods in the market or punish the guilty. Milk is mentioned as one of the top adulterated products but can any country beat the ingenuity of the Indian fraudsters in evolving a milk completely without a cow or a buffalo, using ingredients like detergents, urea, cheap oil etc that competes with genuine milk in the market with complete impunity? Of course Chinese may be providing close competition by using the deadly Melamine to increase protein values in milk for economic gains! Saffron is another commodity that attracts fraudsters like the honey beckoning the bees! Consumers are invariably advised by well meaning pundits that they should go for branded foods marketed by established food manufacturers but it is like asking people to eat cake if bread is not affordable! Besides almost all commodities that do not undergo any significant are not available in the branded format from reputed industry players. There does not appear to be any lasting solution to this vexed problem. Stringent punishment to proven fraudsters in double quick time, if made the hall mark of the food safety regime, may see a decline in adulteration cases significantly. A separate and dedicated food fraud court stream under the judiciary for fast tracking such cases may also have a deterrent effect.  

V.H.POTTY
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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

COCONUT OIL-A "VILLAIN" TURNED "HERO"!

While talking about food inflation, no one expects the poor coconut oil to fetch prizes once considered the privilege of its more illustrious cousins like Olive oil. People are known to spend fortunes to lay their hands on virgin olive oil which has a reputation, rightly or wrongly, as a wonder fat with umpteen number of health benefits. Recent sudden interest in coconut oil, once condemned and vilified, especially by the Soy oil and Canola lobbyists for its high saturated fatty acid content, defies logic and if this interest continues, the people in Kerala and South Karnataka for whom coconut oil is the staple fat, may be starved of this commodity due uncontrolled price escalation in the global market. Here is a take on that funny situation.

"So given all this greasy baggage, what was coconut oil doing in a health food store? In fact, it has recently become the darling of the natural-foods world. Annual sales growth at Whole Foods "has been in the high double digits for the last five years," said Errol Schweizer, the chain's global senior grocery coordinator. Two groups have helped give coconut oil its sparkly new makeover. One is made up of scientists, many of whom are backtracking on the worst accusations against coconut oil. And the other is the growing number of vegans, who rely on it as a sweet vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature and can create flaky pie crusts, crumbly scones and fluffy cupcake icings, all without butter. My curiosity stirred, I brought some home and experimented. I quickly learned that virgin coconut oil has a haunting, nutty, vanilla flavor. It's even milder and richer tasting than butter, sweeter and lighter textured than lard, and without any of the bitterness you sometimes get in olive oil. Its natural sweetness shines in baked goods and sautés, and is particularly wonderful paired with bitter greens, which soften and mellow under the oil's gentle touch. And the saturated fat in coconut oil makes it a good choice in pastries, whether you avoid animal fats or simply want to pack a little more coconut flavor into that coconut cream pie".

What is amazing is the total turn around by the same nutritionists who swore to the dangers of consuming coconut oil because of its rich saturated fat content. To day the very same scientists are singing a different tune extolling the virtues of this oil as a wonder food adjunct. In spite of three decades of incessant campaign by those dealing with western origin oils like soy, canola etc, coconut oil oil has stood the test of time and to day it has emerged as a truly healthy oil for both edible as well as external use. The presence of the medium chain fatty acid Lauric acid confers on it many special health benefits which are recognized to day. It is known that it is easily digestible as it is incorporated in many infant food formulas and its typical melting characteristics make it a darling of the food industry, once its anti-healthy tag is removed. While this is a good news for coconut farmers in India, Sri Lanka and Philippines, one has to sympathize with the fate of the poor consumers who may have to shell out more for their precious staple oil.

V.H.POTTY
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RANCIDITY, A VIRTUE?-CONSUMER ATTITUDE

Olive oil is considered one of the most nutritious fats and as such it is valued very high in the minds of the consumers every where. The cardio-protective effect attributed to Olive oil was considered to be due to the rich content of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid though the polyphenolic antioxidants such as tyrosol and hydroxy tyrosol and tocopherol, also present in the oil play an important role. Besides Olive oil contains 11% polyunsaturated fats, both with Omega-3 as well as Omega-6 acids. More than 60% of the global production of olive oil, about 3 million tons annually, is accounted for by two countries, Spain and Italy. Since Olive is grown extensively in the Mediterranean region, it is often assumed that the good health with relatively less incidence of cardiac disease amongst the population there could be due to high consumption of the oil from this fruit. Olive oil is versatile fat used for cooking, in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products and for making high quality soaps. As per the international Olive Oil Council (IOC), Extra Virgin Olive oil shall contain less than 0.7% free fatty acids while Virgin Oil can have up to 2% acid. How ever what is interesting is that consumers are reported to have a preference to rancid oils, probably due to price considerations. It is recognized that such preference for products considered inferior is acquired over a period of time and the reported ready acceptance of rancid Olive oil could be because of this factor. Considering that olive oil is associated with better cardiac health, consumers must be "tolerating" rancidity to some extent.

"The new study captured the preferences of 110 Northern California olive oil consumers and the reasons for those preferences. The study participants were asked to taste and rate 22 commercial olive oils that were labeled as extra virgin. Half of the oils in the study were imported, and half were from California. The study found that 74 percent of the consumers did not like what the expert tasters identified as high-quality oil — those that were bitter, pungent and free of defects. Bitterness and pungency are two of the positive sensory attributes of high-quality olive oil, as identified by International Olive Council standards. The researchers note that, in the case of other food products such as specialty beers and coffees, bitterness is an attribute that consumers initially dislike but learn to accept. They suggest that consumers might find bitterness and pungency more acceptable when using olive oil with food and in cooking and by knowing that healthy antioxidants in the oil are the cause of bitterness and pungency. Consumers participating in the study did like those olive oils that had the third desirable attribute of extra virgin olive oil, which is fruitiness. In order for an olive oil to be considered extra virgin, it must have some fruitiness and zero defects such as rancidity. Surprisingly, 44 percent of the consumers liked the olive oils that had rancid flavors, even though this is an undesirable quality that would disqualify an olive oil from being considered extra virgin. The study also found that 74 percent of the study participants said they use olive oil for its health benefits; other reasons included for use in a recipe, bread-dipping in restaurants, family tradition and flavor".

Olive oil is reported to be extensively adulterated and considering the high prices commanded by this product it is no wonder that fraudsters see lot of money in adulterating this oil. Adding chlorophyll to simulate pure pressed Olive oil and diluting with oils like soy oil and many undesirable practices indulged in by the trade have brought a bad name to this wonder oil and IOC with 23 member countries controlling 95% of production, is striving hard to protect its reputation through cooperative efforts to control the market. A larger question is whether Olive oil really deserves the euphoria that has made it the costliest cooking oil consumer has known. There are many plant oils with similar chemical composition which also may be as effective if not more, that can match Olive oil but tradition, history and high profile promotion were able to put it on a high pedestal.

V.H.POTTY
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THE OLIVE OIL DEBATE-WHO IS RIGHT?

Olive oil has an exalted status amongst edible oils because of the presence of high proportion of unsaturated fatty aids which are known to be have a protecting role for human health. Historically tree seed oils were manufactured using crushers of different design, the earliest being the pestle and mortar system. Since seed crushing, even if heavy duty hydraulic presses are used, does not remove oil completely, leaving a residual oil varying from 4% to 20% in the pressed cake. These pressed residues form the feedstock for the solvent extraction industry which recovers the remaining oil using mostly hexane. What is available in the market are refined oil freed from unsaponifiable matters, colors and free fatty acids. Many believe that cold pressing of oil seeds yield superior value products in terms of flavor and nutritive value, though presence of lipolytic and oxidative enzymes can pose problems for long term storage. When it comes to Olive oil the so called extra-virgin version which is basically cold pressed product fetches premium price in the market. This consumer sentiment is exploited by a section of the industry to palm of products which do not pass the test for genuineness. This market problem is being addressed by food standards agencies through stricter compliance action.

"The purity issue also remains a serious concern for some consumers. In the past, some state agencies have uncovered oils labeled 100% extra-virgin olive oil that were blended with cheaper canola or nut oils, which can be a serious health threat to people with allergies. (No such mixing was found in the UC Davis report.) Money is also at stake, because extra-virgin oil can be marketed as a premium retail product. A typical 750-milliliter bottle of olive oil can sell for $8 or less, while the same size bottle of high-end extra virgin oil can go for $12 or more. The report underscores problems in an industry that pulls in more than $700 million a year in U.S. retail sales. Industry officials generally agree that the "extra-virgin" designation is proper for oil that is cold-processed, has low acidity and has higher levels of healthful fats and antioxidants".

While marginal variations in the quality can be condoned to some extent considering that olive oil is sourced from different sources, deliberate tinkering with its natural composition is a serious economic fraud deserving severe punishment to the perpetrators of such heinous act. The issue whether extra-virgin olive oil is really more nutritious and healthy may be controversial but any product offered to meet consumer expectations, must be true to the label claims made by the manufacturer.

V.H.POTTY
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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com