What is olive oil?

Olive oil has a history of thousands of years in Mediterranean countries. It is known as "liquid gold", "queen of vegetable oil" and "Mediterranean nectar" in the west because of its excellent natural health care effect, beauty effect and ideal cooking use. Edible high-grade olive oil is a natural fruit oil juice extracted from fresh or mature olives by physical cold pressing process. It is the only woody plant oil in the world that is eaten by people in a natural state. It originated in the coastal countries of China. Humans have been cultivated for thousands of years. According to statistics, in the Bible, "olives"-that is, "olives"-appeared more than 200 times.

Olive is a famous tree species with a long history in the world. In plant taxonomy, olive belongs to Oleaceae, Oleaceae and small evergreen trees. The Mediterranean coast has the most suitable climatic conditions such as soil and temperature, sunshine, air humidity and precipitation. Except the Mediterranean coast, other areas can only be planted sporadically in suitable areas. Olive is a long-lived tree, which begins to bear fruit after 4-5 years of planting, and the full fruit period can last for 50 years to 100 years. The fruit is drupe and looks like jujube. Every year from March to June is the time for olive trees to blossom and set fruit, and 7- 10 fruits begin to develop and mature.

The fruit turns from green to red and purple, and finally to black. The fruit picking season is from 10 to10.55438+065438. The physical characteristics of olive fruit and the chemical composition of its pulp vary with varieties, maturity, geographical environment, soil texture and planting methods. For example, olive oil produced in Crete, Greece, has the best quality because of its unique geographical environment and climatic conditions.

The countries with the highest output of olive oil in the world are Spain and Italy, and the countries with the best quality of olive oil are Greece, especially the olive oil in Crete, Greece. At present, the annual output of olive oil in the world is only about 2.3 million tons, while the annual output of herbal oils such as peanut oil and soybean oil in China has exceeded170,000 tons. Olive oil has become a scarce resource in the world because of its large output and excellent nutrients.

In ancient Greek mythology, the paste of divines extracted from olive fruit has amazing effects. When Hera tried to seduce Zeus, she painted herself with this sacred ointment-olive oil. It was not until the end of Homer's era that olive oil gained economic value. However, only aristocrats and rich people can use olive oil, which is regarded as a precious ointment in the homes of some Trojan heroes.

In Roman bathing culture, olive oil is a part of health and beauty ceremonies. They massage with olive oil first, and then scrape it off with a curved bone scraper. The Romans were particularly sympathetic to the magical antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of olive oil.

The ancient Hebrews believed that a king must be painted with shiny olive oil to become a real prince charming. In the New Testament, when Adam came back from Noah's ark, he used the green olive branch as a symbol to alleviate the disturbance of the flood, so since then, the olive tree has been given the meaning of life recovery and peace.

More importantly, the olive tree culture has influenced the development of western civilization. /kloc-During the great voyage in the 5th century, Spain, a maritime power at that time, brought the civilization of olive trees to the New World in the East, South Africa, Australia, America, China and Japan with light sailboats. For westerners, olive is the best synonym for the tree of life, because it not only ignites Mediterranean civilization, but also brings happiness of taste, health and youth!

The role of olive oil

"Liquid gold" lives up to its reputation.

Olive oil is made from fresh olive fruit by direct cold pressing, without heating and chemical treatment, and retains natural nutrients. Yellow-green in color and fragrant in smell, it is a traditional edible oil for people in Mediterranean coastal countries. Olive oil is rich in nutrition and has outstanding medical and health care functions. It is recognized as green and healthy edible oil and is known as "liquid gold".

Olive oil contains high monounsaturated fatty acids (55~83%), namely oleic acid. In addition to supplying a lot of heat energy needed by human body, it can also adjust the concentration ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in human plasma. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid are essential to human body, but human body can't synthesize them by itself, and excessive consumption is also harmful to human body. The proportion of oleic acid, linoleic acid and flax oleic acid contained in olive oil is just the proportion needed by human body, similar to breast milk, which is not found in other vegetable oils; At the same time, olive oil is rich in fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, F, K, carotene and antioxidants, which are easily digested and absorbed by the human body.

Studies have shown that olive oil has a very good nutritional and health care function if it can be eaten for a long time:

It can lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular diseases. It has obvious preventive and therapeutic effects on arteriosclerosis and arteriosclerosis complications, hypertension, heart disease, heart failure, renal failure, cerebral hemorrhage and other diseases caused by high cholesterol concentration.

Can improve the function of digestive system. It is helpful to reduce gastric acid, prevent gastritis, duodenal ulcer and other diseases, and improve the functions of stomach, spleen, intestine, liver and bile duct. Stimulate bile secretion, prevent gallstones and reduce the occurrence of cholecystitis. Olive oil has a mild laxative effect. Taking two tablespoons on an empty stomach in the morning has an unexpected effect on relieving chronic constipation.

Can prevent brain aging and Alzheimer's disease. It is helpful to enhance the absorption of minerals such as phosphorus, zinc and calcium and reduce the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis.

It can inhibit some types of malignant tumors, such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, intestinal cancer, squamous cell cancer and esophageal cancer.

It can protect skin, especially prevent skin damage and aging, and make skin shiny.

For obese people, eating olive oil often can control their weight better than eating less fat.

Although olive oil is more expensive than other vegetable oils, there are so many reasons to put it down. What are you waiting for when the natural fragrance of olive oil comes with the blue wind in the Mediterranean and the pursuit of a green and healthy life becomes fashionable?

Olive oil primary school

The dragon gave birth to nine children, each with its own differences. This kind of olive oil is even more learned. Different varieties often determine different best cooking methods. Only by careful understanding and careful selection can we have a unique Mediterranean style.

Each have their own different

According to different processing methods, olive oil can be divided into virgin olive oil and refined olive oil, which are different in price, nutritional components and uses.

Primary olive oil (natural olive oil). It is made from fresh olive fruit by mechanical cold pressing and direct pressing, and the oil juice obtained by filtering and other treatments to remove impurities is completely free from chemical treatment during processing. This kind of olive oil has the best quality, unique fragrance, golden color with greenish color and rich taste, which is equivalent to a fruit juice. Can be eaten directly, and can also be used in cold salads and salads to highlight the original flavor.

Refined olive oil (secondary oil). Olive oil was extracted from 1993 Spain by dissolving method. After decolorization, deodorization and other refining processes, its acid value can generally be reduced to below 0.3%. Although the quality is not as good as that of crude oil, it tastes good and the price is relatively civilian. As a standing oil in the kitchen, you can fry, boil, cook and fry at will.

At present, the edible olive oil in China market is mainly imported products, mainly from Spanish, Italian and Greek; There are also some domestic brands selling well.

Although olive oil is expensive, it only needs a little at a time. So overall, it is both economical and nutritious.

background knowledge

The world's major olive oil producers are concentrated in Mediterranean countries, mainly Spain, Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria and Morocco, which account for 90% of the world's total olive oil production. Spain, Italy and Greece are the three largest producers and exporters of olive oil in the world. Spain's olive oil production ranks first in the world, but its export volume ranks second in the world, second only to Italy. Italy ranks second in the world in olive oil production, but it is the largest consumer, exporter and importer.

Suitable for both cold and hot, bringing out the good taste of life.

Olive oil is nutritious, suitable for both cold and hot, and can be used in many cooking methods:

Directly used as cold meal oil. The direct use of olive oil will bring the characteristics of dishes to the extreme. Sprinkle a little olive oil on fresh vegetable salad or fried steak to make the food more rich and delicious. If you add another glass of old wine, it is really a pleasure.

Fry in olive oil. Olive oil can be used repeatedly without deterioration. It has stronger resistance to deterioration caused by oxidation and is the most suitable food for frying. Prefer fried food, and those who pay attention to health care can use it with confidence.

Marinate with olive oil. Olive oil is a good pickling material, because it can easily penetrate into food and bring the smell of marinade into it.

Bake with olive oil. Spread olive oil on bread or dessert and bake. This smell is far from the smell of cream.

tocopherol

Vitamin e, also known as tocopherol, belongs to phenolic compounds because it is related to fertility. There are many kinds of natural vitamin E, and the structural differences are only in the side chains R 1, R2 and R3.

Vitamin E is related to the biological function of animals. When animals lack vitamin E, their reproductive organs are damaged, and they cannot have children. Vitamin E is easily oxidized, which can protect other substances from oxidation. It is the most effective antioxidant in animals and human body, which can resist lipid peroxidation of biofilm, protect the integrity of biofilm structure and function, and delay aging.

Vitamin E mainly exists in vegetable oil and is rich in wheat germ oil, sunflower seed oil, peanut oil and corn oil. Vegetables, beans and cereals are also abundant. It is generally not easy to lack.

Properties and stability) Vitamin E is a yellowish transparent viscous liquid; It is odorless, turns black when exposed to light, is sensitive to oxygen and is easy to be oxidized, so it can protect other oxidizable substances (such as unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A) in the body, and will slowly oxidize and deteriorate when exposed to air or ultraviolet rays.

(In vivo process) Tocopherol can be absorbed by intestinal tract after oral administration (bile salt is required), for example, 2 grams is taken orally once, and the absorption rate is 55%. After lymphatic absorption, it reaches the blood in the form of chylomicrons, and then binds with plasma β-lipoprotein, and the binding amount is about 74% of plasma concentration. The plasma concentration of normal adults is about1.05 0.32 mg, which is distributed in various tissues after absorption, with the highest content in pituitary, adrenal gland and testis, and the lower content in thymus and uterus. Vitamin E is distributed in mitochondria and microsomes of these tissues and organs. It can be oxidized to reproductive quinone in tissues, and then reduced to β-reproductive hydroquinone, which combines with glucuronic acid in the liver, mainly secreted into the intestine through bile, and excreted in feces, but rarely excreted in urine.

(Drug action) (1) Anti-free radical: Free radical is an active group widely existing in various chemical reactions and plays an important role in normal physiological metabolism of human body. If excessive free radicals lead to free radical chain reaction, it will lead to lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in cell membrane, and a large number of newly produced lipid peroxides will damage protein and nucleic acids in cell membrane and cells, thus causing damage to the body. The anti-free radical effect of vitamin E is due to the fact that the free radical itself is a derivative of benzopyran, the benzene ring has active hydroxyl, which is reducing, and then there is saturated side chain on the five-carbon ring, which determines that vitamin E is reducing and lipophilic. When free radicals enter the lipid phase and have a chain reaction, vitamin E plays a role in capturing free radicals. Vitamin e has a highly effective anti-free radical lipid peroxidation effect.

(2) Vitamin E and anti-aging: It has been studied for decades, and there are different opinions at present. Generally speaking, vitamin E has little effect on the longest life span of population aging, but it can prolong the average life span, so the anti-aging effect of vitamin E is only a health care function.

(3) Vitamin E and immunity: the lack of vitamin E has an impact on the immune function of human beings or animals, which not only reduces the body immunity, but also has a great impact on the cellular immunity.

(4) Vitamin E and cardiovascular diseases: A large intake of vitamin E can reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis, which may be related to the fact that vitamin E can hinder the "foaming" of arterial endothelial cells and balance the cholesterol metabolism of endothelial cells.

(5) Study on vitamin E and liver: In 1980s, it was clarified that vitamin E was one of the important protective factors for hepatocyte growth. American scholars have found that one of the last ways of liver cell death is the depletion of vitamin E in liver cells, and its mechanism is different from that of calcium ion, but it uses the form of phase itself in cells to play its role as a cytoprotective factor. Vitamin E has a protective effect on acute liver injury and a delaying effect on chronic liver fibrosis.

(6) Vitamin E and skin: Vitamin E itself is a good antioxidant, which can enter skin cells and has a chain reaction against free radicals. Theoretically, it is superior to superoxide dismutase (SOD) and can be used to prevent skin keratinization.

There are many manifestations of vitamin E deficiency, but it is most important for reproductive, muscular, cardiovascular and hematopoietic systems.

Reproductive system: The long-term lack of vitamin E in male rats leads to the degeneration of epithelial cells, resulting in irreversible infertility. In female mice with vitamin E deficiency, the pregnancy was terminated at about 10, when the fetal mouse died.

Muscular system: Many animals will suffer from muscular dystrophy after eating vitamin E-deficient feed. But there is no evidence that vitamin E is deficient in human muscular dystrophy.

Cardiovascular system: Skeletal muscle injury caused by vitamin E deficiency is also obvious in the myocardium of some animals. Although the heart is usually slightly involved, it is rare, but sometimes myocardial damage will be accompanied by ECG changes, pathological changes, and even heart failure.

Hematopoietic system: Vitamin E deficiency is related to anemia. When anemia in some patients cannot be treated with conventional drugs, large doses of vitamin E can be effectively treated.

As an over-the-counter drug, vitamin E is considered as a nutritional supplement and can be used as a therapeutic agent to treat various diseases caused by free radical damage. Commonly used in habitual abortion, threatened abortion, infertility and menopausal disorders, progressive muscular dystrophy and so on.

(Adverse reactions and precautions) Vitamin E is relatively nontoxic at a certain dose. Long-term large dose (400-800 mg a day) can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, chapped skin, cheilitis, angular stomatitis, gastrointestinal dysfunction, diarrhea, mammary gland enlargement, fatigue and weakness.

Overdose (daily dose >; 800 mg), coagulation time was prolonged, endocrine metabolism (thyroid gland, pituitary gland, adrenal gland) and immune mechanism were changed in some patients. Women can cause menorrhagia, amenorrhea and sexual dysfunction. And may lead to the risk of thrombophlebitis or embolism.

(Drug Interaction) (1) Vitamin E can promote the absorption, utilization and liver storage of vitamin A, and prevent vitamin A from hyperemia.

(2) Vitamin E metabolite can antagonize vitamin K and reduce blood coagulation, so it should be avoided to take it together with dicoumarin and its derivatives.

(3) Drugs that reduce or affect fat absorption, such as sphingosine and neomycin. Drugs such as sucralfate and mineral sugar oil will interfere with the absorption of vitamin E.

(4) Iron deficiency anemia, when iron is supplemented, the demand for vitamin E increases.

(5) Oral contraceptives can accelerate vitamin E metabolism and lead to vitamin E deficiency.

(6) Vitamin E can enhance the cardiotonic effect of digitalis and the anticoagulant effect of warfarin.

(7) When estrogen and vitamin E are used together, if the dosage is large and the course of treatment is long, it can induce thrombophlebitis.

(Usage and dosage) Oral. The conventional dosage of OTC drugs is 5- 10 mg once, three times a day; The larger dose is 50- 100 mg once, three times a day, and if it exceeds 400 mg a day, please see a doctor. External use: 2% cream, 1-2 times, daily 1 time.