65 Virgin Olive Oil Benefits intense aroma evoking fresh and healthy olive fruits. Such fruitiness depends on the variety/ies employed, the olives ripeness and the extraction procedure, and can be classified as green fruity or ripe fruity. The quality of an olive oil is measured, amongst other things, by fruitiness intensity, associated aromas (complexity), for instance, fresh cut grass, tomato, and almond, and the balance between bitterness and pungency. As in all cuisines, consumers have their own preferences influenced by culinary customs and gastronomic culture. Consumers need to explore the offers present on the market to establish their preferences. 3.3. Olive oil composition. Key role of the minor components Olive oil is one of the most appreciated edible fats worldwide because of its nutritional and gastronomic value. It is considered a healthy fat (despite its high caloric content) because of its elevated percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids and bioactive compounds that make it a functional food. Around 98% of olive oil weight comes from triglycerides (major or saponifiable fraction) and, to a lesser extent, diglycerides, monoglycerides, and free fatty acids. Olive oil is rich in oleic acid (between 65-82% of the total fatty acids, depending on the olive variety), has a moderate content of palmitic and linolenic acids, and a low percentage of other acids such as linolenic and arachidonic. The remaining 2%, the unsaponifiable fraction, includes a broad spectrum of minor compounds which, despite this reduced figure, play a key role in maintaining olive oil characteristics. The minor compounds are responsible for the oxidative stability of the oils, their organoleptic characteristics, and a major part of healthy properties. Amongst the most noteworthy components of this unsaponifiable fraction are phenolic compounds, tocopherols, and triterpenoids. (Figure 3.3).
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