Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil presented with green and black preserved table olives | |
| Fat composition | |
|---|---|
| Saturated fats | |
| Total saturated | Palmitic acid: 13.0% Stearic acid: 1.5% |
| Unsaturated fats | |
| Total unsaturated | > 85% |
| Monounsaturated | Oleic acid: 70.0% Palmitoleic acid: 0.3–3.5% |
| Polyunsaturated | Linoleic acid: 15.0% α-Linolenic acid: 0.5% |
| Properties | |
| Food energy per 100 g (3.5 oz) | 3,700 kJ (880 kcal) |
| Melting point | −6.0 °C (21.2 °F) |
| Boiling point | 299 °C (570 °F) |
| Smoke point | 190–215 °C (374–419 °F) (extra virgin) 215 °C (419 °F) (virgin) 210 °C (410 °F) (refined) |
| Solidity at 20 °C (68 °F) | Liquid |
| Specific gravity at 20 °C (68 °F) | 0.911 |
| Viscosity at 20 °C (68 °F) | 84 cP |
| Refractive index | 1.4677–1.4705 (virgin and refined) 1.4680–1.4707 (pomace) |
| Iodine value | 75–94 (virgin and refined) 75–92 (pomace) |
| Acid value | maximum: 6.6% (refined and pomace) 0.8% (extra virgin) |
| Saponification value | 184–196 (virgin and refined) 182–193 (pomace) |
| Peroxide value | 20 (virgin) 10 (refined and pomace) |
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil.
It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a condiment, or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine, with wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been cultivated around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.
In 2022, Spain was the world's largest producer, manufacturing 24% of the world's total. Other large producers were Italy, Greece, and Turkey, collectively accounting for 59% of the global market.
The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity, and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.