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Olive oil and healthiness
Olive oil is undoubtedly the most precious vegetable fat granted to us by nature. In fact virgin olive oil is the only one which can be consumed following an exclusively mechanical processing. Using the first pressing with millstones and a hydraulic press, the processing is without the addition of any chemical substances.
In contrast, the other oils must, according to the law, be subjected to various processes of mechanical extraction.
The chemical composition of the oil
The fatty acids are characteristic for a carbon molecule that can exist in two forms:
- A composite without double band (saturated fatty acids), with only one band (simple saturated fatty acids).
- A composite with two or more double bands (complex saturated fatty acids).
The virgin oil is made up of three parts of simple fatty acids (with only one band), represented by the acids.
More common are the molecules rich in double bands, but these become unstable when oxidisation begins.
If the table below comparing the main types of oil and fats, it is extra virgin olive oil that has a high percentage of complex unsaturated fatty acids.
Saturated fat: 16%
Unsaturated fat: 84% of which 9% is complex unsaturated fatty acid.
Composition of the fat in the most important fats and oils.
| Saturated | Simple unsaturated | Complex unsaturated |
| Peanut oil | 19 | 53 | 28 |
| Butter | 49 | 24 | 3 |
| Coconut oil | 87 | 6 | 2 |
| Sunflower oil | 11 | 31 | 50 |
| Olive oil | 16 | 75 | 9 |
| Corn oil | 15 | 31 | 50 |
| Soya oil | 14 | 23 | 59 |
| Lard | 43 | 43 | 12 |
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