Chemistry of Olive Oil

Chemistry of Olive OilDefenestrated in occasions, had to less in others, forgotten by some, always reborn like phoenix the one that for many is the king of the oils, the one that all pursue, the one that they try to equal and even adulterate, yes, the olive oil, the liquid of tenuous green-yellowish aspect that, without exception, is considered like the most valued of the vegetable oils.That olive oil currently reigns in kitchens? Nobody dares to doubt, it the prices indicate it, also the most demanding tastes; it is considered the bow ship of the well-weighted Mediterranean cuisine, but why? What makes it so precious? Why do they all imitate it? Although none of them even equals it. What is it made of?Each and every one of these questions will be answered in this book, which deals exclusively with this singular oil, and for this we will start from the most elementary and central part of everything: its chemical composition, hence its properties and, consequently, its use and applications.The text will focus its attention on the basic components of olive oil, those that give it its properties and make it what it is today: the prince of oils, and that it can still fight in that bloody war waged in the world of vegetable oils. And he will have to enter the fight followed by a small army to confront the most powerful oils, against palm oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, cotton oil, and even with the apparently shy and fresh from the forest: avocado oil.But it is not only against its kind that it fights the millennial olive oil, with its weak flanks because of its nature dependent on centennial trees, perhaps tired of living after so many battles. It faces stoically the impetuous advances of technology, also against implacable plagues like the Xylella fastidiosa, and sometimes even against its creator: the man himself, not content with his work tries to demand more from what he cannot more, because his forces are not inexhaustible and are restricted by his own nature.But olive oil has powerful weapons that until now have not been able to match their opponents, its natural lipid profile rich in oleic acid, without the need for changes or genetic transformations, and more than anything: its innocence, its virginity, like a vestal goddess before which all are forced to bow in respect, because this innocent creature is accompanied by more than 300 minority components many of them endowed with beneficial properties for the health of man, who is in the end who produces and consumes it.