Extra virgin olive oil is officially a medicine

The Food and Drug Administration has revised the definition of this food. It is so good for preventing and fighting a series of diseases that it must be considered as a drug. But it must be taken and stored following precise rules

It is in all the newspapers that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the strict government agency that oversees the regulation of food and pharmaceutical products, which will be distributed on American soil, has revised the definition of extra virgin olive oil from a healthy food to a medicine. Americans have not turned a blind eye to the increasingly numerous and solid scientific evidence of the clinical efficacy of yellow gold or Mr. EVOO (as the Anglo-Saxons affectionately call it) in preventing lethal cardiovascular diseases and cognitive deficits typical of the elderly, as well as in reducing the risk of silent type II diabetes mellitus.

And perhaps not everyone knows that daily intake of extra virgin olive oil is useful in reducing the risk of breast cancer thanks to its great anti-inflammatory and nutrigenomic properties. The Yankees did not need further proof to proceed and, as often happens, they beat the legislators of the old Mediterranean continent to it, where the millenary oleum oliva was born, spreading from Syria, home to the first olive tree crops (Olea europaea), until it became an authoritative signature of “made in Italy” cuisine, and not only that. In fact, extra virgin olive oil has recently been rediscovered as a soothing ointment for skin protection, thanks to its squalene content, which gives rise to the more stable squalane (a saturated hydrocarbon of terpenic nature) widely used in modern cosmetics, but that's another story.

How to take extra virgin olive oil

The FDA claim establishes that it is sufficient to ingest every day, and within a maximum of 12/18 months from extraction (according to Italian law (Law n.9/2013, art.7), from the date of bottling of the product), 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of extra virgin olive oil (known to have an oleic acid content between 70 and 80%), raw and cold-processed, to ensure that our body takes in at least 17.5 grams of oleic acid, an important monounsaturated fatty acid from the omega 9 family, 4.5 milligrams of vitamin E, a well-known fat-soluble antioxidant, 10 milligrams of effective polyphenols (among all oleocanthal, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol and oleacein), powerful modulators of the expression of protective genes in an epigenetic way (without modifying the DNA sequence), which are abundant (>600mg/kg of oil) in specific olive varieties, such as the Apulian Coratina and Ogliarola, the Tuscan Maurino and Moraiolo, the Spanish Cornicabra and the Californian Mission.

Although the courage to innovate speaks American, the scientific evidence supporting innovation also speaks Italian. In 2016, a group of researchers from the Aldo Moro University of Bari demonstrated that the single intake by healthy subjects, in the morning and on an empty stomach, of 50 milliliters (44 grams) of Coratina extra virgin olive oil promotes the expression of microRNA (miR; the smallest RNAs in nature that block the expression of specific genes) with anti-inflammatory (miR-23b-3p) and anti-tumor (miR-519b-3p) action, while inhibiting the expression of microRNA that promote the onset of insulin resistance (miR-107) ().

At the moment, the US recognition for Mr. EVOO is based on the its high oleic acid content and, in advance, other vegetable oils could also benefit from it, such as the cheaper high oleic sunflower seed oil (oleic acid: 85-86%) obtainedby chemical extraction and refining (which involves the use of solvents), although devoid of the precious polyphenols of extra virgin olive oil, but more stable and resistant than Mr. EVOO at high temperatures (such as during frying).

For those interested, it is worth remembering that 23 grams of extra virgin olive oil guarantee the intake of just over 200 calories. Therefore, Mr. EVOO should be the exclusive condiment of a balanced and low-fat diet, such as the Mediterranean or DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, to avoid an excessive intake of calories from fat. The studies supporting the FDA's decision have been there for years and show that replacing some saturated fatty acids in the diet, such as long-chain fatty acids (for example, palmitic acid and myristic acid), with the right doses of oleic acid and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids (for example, omega 3) significantly reduces serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, among the main causes of atherosclerosis. The effects on HDL cholesterol, however, are still to be verified.

Correct storage

But what precautions should be taken to avoid damaging Mr. EVOO? In order not to alter its nutraceutical potential, it should be remembered that Mr. EVOO is very demanding and prefers:

  • to be stored at a temperature between 14 and 18 degrees; while, it does not like high temperatures or temperatures close to or below zero;
  • to be stored in small (maximum 500 milliliters) well-closed containers, always clean, made of glass (opaque or dark), porcelain or stainless steel, in cool places and away from aromatic contamination. Although the can is a good compromise for short periods, food-grade plastic should never be used. Remembering, however, that in the catering sector, Italian law law 161 of 30 October 2014 (article 18, paragraph 1 c) prescribes the use of closed, labelled and non-refillable containers, while prohibiting the use of pleasant and artistic “domestic” ampoules or oil cruets.
  • not be in contact with oxygen and therefore not let it remain for a long time in half-empty containers, even if hermetically sealed.

It is really the case of saying that spreading oil in our diet touches thanks, and not misfortunes, fraud and counterfeiting permitting.

Xylella, millions of olive trees affected, 350 experts seek a remedy

New evidence and solutions from EU projects and EFSA conference

BRUSSELS – From 2012 to 2017, Xylella fastidiosa has seriously damaged approximately 6.5 million olive trees in Puglia. These are some of the new estimates on the impact of the bacterium presented at the second conference on Xylella of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in Ajaccio. From 28 to 30 October in the Corsican capital, over 350 scientists, institutional representatives and trade associations of farmers and nurserymen met to take stock of the fight against new plant pathogens. Mainly Xylella fastidiosa, considered by the EU as public enemy number one. The parasite detected for the first time in 2013 by researchers from the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (Ipsp) of the CNR in Bari is the one with the greatest potential impact in economic, social and environmental terms in Europe, as certified by a study by the Joint Research Centre of the Commission. The ‘three-day’ event opened with the final conference of the Ponte research project, the first funded by the EU to also investigate Xylella, which since 2015 has involved 25 organisations from Europe and third countries.

Ponte has made it possible, among other things, to experiment with remote early detection methods and to start testing resistant olive varieties in Puglia. This work will continue with the EU XF-Actors project, whose preliminary results were discussed at the second EFSA conference on 29 and 30 October. On resistant varieties, a simulation by Wageningen University has shown how in the current situation the economic damage for olive growers alone, not counting the oil industry, in Greece, Italy and Spain could reach nine billion euros in 50 years. With replanting, it would go down to 4. On the control of Xylella, encouraging data comes from California, where bacteria capable of substantially reducing infection on vines are being tested.

Researchers from the Ipsp-Cnr of Bari are testing the same type of solutions on olive trees and have presented evidence in Ajaccio that the Apulian strain of the bacterium does not infect vines, laying the foundations for the free marketing of 26 varieties from nurseries in the infected area in Puglia. “Since the first conference two years ago, research has expanded,” says Giuseppe Stancanelli of Efsa, “today we know much more about the vectors that transmit the bacterium, the development of the disease and its control.” Also known and broader is the range of subspecies and strains that have colonized different territories in Europe, with different impacts. In short, if in the years following 2013 Xylella fastidiosa was seen as a unique specimen, now the situation is more complex. Based on new knowledge, in the first months of 2020 the European Commission should present a proposal to EU countries to update the control measures on the pathogen.

Researchers identify major types of olive oil fraud

The high economic value of extra virgin olive oil and its acclaim as a health product have made it a popular target for fraud, researchers from several European universities and institutions said in a joint review.

Along with other food products, including fish, milk, meat, cereals, honey, coffee, wine and spices, olive oil is often the target of various illicit practices in the European Union.

One of the main factors leading to olive oil fraud identified by researchers is the price gap that exists between extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil and between extra virgin olive oils, depending on the place of origin.

Another factor identified in the report is the relatively high quality of virgin and lampante olive oils produced in the EU, which makes them easier to blend with extra virgin olive oils and sell very profitably as extra virgin.

The researchers also highlighted that, despite cases of fraudulent practices in the olive oil sector, the existing EU regulatory and control framework has significantly improved the quality of olive oil and this needs to be communicated to consumers.

“The level of attention and the high demand in terms of compliance checks have actually improved the quality of olive oil sold on the market over the last 30 years,” Enrico Valli, researcher at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Bologna, told Olive Oil Times.

“On the other hand, the results highlighted in this scientific article, cross-referenced with the answers obtained from the questionnaires, indicate that to better guarantee the quality and authenticity of olive oil, there is still a need to improve compliance controls, reduce cases of disagreement in classifications, develop improved robust analytical methods and supporting screening tools, in an effort to try to stay one step ahead of fraudsters,” he added.

The researchers concluded that to better guarantee the quality and authenticity of olive oil, the European Union, the International Olive Council and other regulatory bodies should collaborate more closely.

The report recommended proposing a common strategy to bring together sensory and instrumental data and increase the expertise and cooperation of sensory panels.