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5 Types of Olive Oils You Should Know
For many reasons, olive oil is good for your health. It improves digestive system, prevents cancer, reduces inflammation, and moisturizes hair, etc. However, you need to know that specific types of olive do specific functions. Before you rush to the market to grab a bottle of the oil, you should know about these types.
Extra-Virgin Type of Olive Oil
The extra-virgin olive oil type is certainly the best type among all. It is extracted by cold-pressing method to prevent the natural content from being altered by exposures to high temperature. This oil even has lower acidity content compared to its standard virgin counterpart. It is considered the best simply because it retains most of the natural flavor and aroma. This is as well the most commonly used type of olive oil for health purposes. You can even consume or drink extra virgin olive oil directly without any other ingredient mixed with it because the health benefits of olive oil are extensive.
Virgin-Olive Oil
The virgin type of olive oil is an unrefined form. It is extracted by cold-pressing method, and it brings more natural aroma and flavors compared to the aforementioned types above. It contains slightly high acidity content between 1 to 4 percent. This specific type of olive oil is temperature resistant as well. Compared to the extra virgin type, this one has milder taste. This is suitable for low-heat cooking purposes.
Refined Olive Oil
This type of olive oil is extracted from black and ripe olive fruits. Among other types, it has the least amount of virgin olive oil which is known for its great benefits in preventing colon cancer. The lite type is sometimes marketed as better than the regular one, but it is still considered low quality and therefore is only good for cooking purposes, especially one that involves high temperature. It still contains the same fat and calories as other types.
Pure Olive Oil
Although the name clearly suggests that it is pure, this type of oil is not at all pure. In fact, it is a blend extra virgin or virgin type olive oil with a refined form of olive oil. The blending method is often used when the extraction quality is not as good as expected. In order to improve the quality, the refined oil has to be mixed with a better quality one, either extra virgin or virgin type of olive oil. The added oil will give higher amount of vitamin E and better flavor.
Olive Pomace Oil
The pomace type is the lowest quality olive oil. It is extracted from the residue that remains after the fruit is pressed. After the actual fruits are pressed, they leave residue containing oil and water. Once the water and oil are removed, the residue still contains certain amount of oil and can be extracted. Since it is extracted merely from residue, virgin oil is mixed to help to improve the quality. Due to this problem, it is the least expensive in the market and suitable only for high-heat cooking.
Read more: Is Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Extra Virgin?