Olive oil is a staple on our tables, yet we know very little about it. One of the things many people do not understand is why olive oil should be filtered. Let’s start at the beginning. To produce olive oil, the olives must go through several processing stages. After washing, the olives are crushed using a machine called a crusher. At this stage, all parts of the crushed fruit are turned into a paste, known as the olive paste. This paste is transferred to a machine called a malaxer, where it...

Over the past decade, high-phenolic olive oils have increasingly appeared on the market. These are olive oils with a high content of phenolic compounds (antioxidants) directly associated with olive oil’s health benefits. According to the European Union's Regulation 432/2012 on nutrition and health claims, olive oils containing at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (such as oleuropein complex and tyrosol) per 20 g of olive oil may carry an authorized health claim on their label....

Last Saturday, July 18th, I joined Ioanna Stamoulou at the recent episode of the Cookout podcast "I Have a Secret" for an in-depth conversation about one of the Mediterranean diet's most valuable ingredient - Extra Virgin Olive Oil. During the episode, we discussed key aspects of extra virgin olive oil, including its quality, common misconceptions, and how consumers can make more informed choices when selecting it. It was a pleasure to contribute to a discussion dedicated to promoting...