Olive oil

Olive oil
	Extra virgin olive oil presented with green and black preserved table olives
Fat composition
Saturated fats
Total saturated	Palmitic acid: 13.0%; Stearic acid: 1.5%
Unsaturated fats
Total unsaturated	> 85%
Monounsaturated	Oleic acid: 70.0%; Palmitoleic acid: 0.3–3.5%
Polyunsaturated	Linoleic acid: 15.0%; α-Linolenic acid: 0.5%
Properties
Food energy per 100 g (3.5 oz)	3,700 kJ (880 kcal)
Melting point	−6.0 °C (21.2 °F)
Boiling point	299 °C (570 °F)
Smoke point	190–215 °C (374–419 °F) (extra virgin); 215 °C (419 °F) (virgin); 210 °C (410 °F) (refined)
Solidity at 20 °C (68 °F)	Liquid
Specific gravity at 20 °C (68 °F)	0.911
Viscosity at 20 °C (68 °F)	84 cP
Refractive index	1.4677–1.4705 (virgin and refined); 1.4680–1.4707 (pomace)
Iodine value	75–94 (virgin and refined); 75–92 (pomace)
Acid value	maximum: 6.6%[inconsistent](refined and pomace); 0.8% (extra virgin)
Saponification value	184–196 (virgin and refined); 182–193 (pomace)
Peroxide value	20 (virgin); 10 (refined and pomace)

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Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained by pressing whole olives, the fruit of Olea europaea, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, and extracting the oil.

It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods or as a salad dressing. It can also be found in some cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and fuels for traditional oil lamps. It also has additional uses in some religions. The olive is one of three core food plants in Mediterranean cuisine, together with wheat and grapes. Olive trees have been grown around the Mediterranean since the 8th millennium BC.

Spain is the world's largest producer, manufacturing almost half of the world's olive oil. Other large producers are Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco.

The composition of olive oil varies with the cultivar, altitude, time of harvest, and extraction process. It consists mainly of oleic acid (up to 83%), with smaller amounts of other fatty acids including linoleic acid (up to 21%) and palmitic acid (up to 20%). Extra virgin olive oil is required to have no more than 0.8% free acidity and is considered to have favorable flavor characteristics.

^ Gray, Sarah (2015). "Cooking with extra virgin olive oil". ACNEM Journal. 34 (2): 8–12. S2CID 132454216.
^ De Alzaa, F.; Guillaume, C.; Ravetti, L. (June 2018). "Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health. 2 (6): 2–11. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
^ "United States Department of Agriculture: "Grading Manual for Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil"". Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

[sgray-1] Gray, Sarah (2015). "Cooking with extra virgin olive oil". ACNEM Journal. 34 (2): 8–12. S2CID 132454216.

[alzaa-2] De Alzaa, F.; Guillaume, C.; Ravetti, L. (June 2018). "Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health. 2 (6): 2–11. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.

[3] "United States Department of Agriculture: "Grading Manual for Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil"". Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

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