Too many frauds for the extra-virgin olive oil. Accused bottles sold at bargain prices

The last message on the adulteration of extra virgin olive oil mixed with deodorized comes ARPA of Ascoli Piceno, who analyzed 68 samples of extra-virgin (33 mills levied in the Marche and 35 bottles purchased at retail). The final verdict is striking:approximately one third of the extra-virgin bought in supermarkets can be considered outside the norm for the excessive presence of alkyl esters.

The anomalous presence of this substance leaves assume a fraud against the consumer because it means that the olives are crushed before being pressed, fermented, or dented.When the olives are spoiled little extra-virgin olive oil has a content of alkyl esters of less than 75 milligrams per kilogram, when many (as the olives have been amassed for days before being pressed, it is collected from the ground, because they are preserved in closed containers or in plastic bags …) the presence of alkyl esters greatly increases, the oil begins to smell bad and can not be sold as extra virgin. Now it deodorize clever producers in a “mild” (so as to leave no visible signs of treatment) and add extra-virgin true. The magical effect has worked for years, up to when the controllers have established that the excessive presence of alkyl esters can be considered an index of fraud.

“The average concentration in oil samples coming directly from the mill was 15 milligrams per kilogram – says Ernesto Corradetti dell’Arpam of Ascoli Piceno – while in bottles bought at the supermarket level is ten times higher.” These figures are exaggerated, because in February should be in place new EU standards, and the oil can not contain more than 75 milligrams per kilogram of alkyl esters as proposed by the International Oleic Council.

The element that should generate some suspicion on the genuineness of the oil is price. When on the shelves of some supermarkets are bottles of extra-virgin at the price of 2.5-3.0 € / l is natural to ask how you can get to these levels.The price is amazing considering that the wholesale price list  for November indicate a minimum amount of 2.05 € / l for oil Spanish, Tunisian and Greek. To this figure must be added the costs of transportation, processing and bottling over the edge of the vendor and the end rsulta difficult to make ends meet.

“It’s worth remembering – reminds Uploaded Director Louis website Natural theater - that just over a year ago has sold DìperDì GS-extra-virgin Nature Company Portaro in a glass bottle at the incredible price of 1.99 € / l ‘. Perhaps it is not to say that the oils with random values ​​out of the norm in Ascoli Piceno analyzed fall within a range which these price ranges.

Roberto La Pira  (ilfattoalimentare.it)

25 Alternative Uses for Olive Oil

1. Shave. Olive oil can provide a safe and natural lubricant for a close shave. Rub in an extra teaspoon after washing your body or face once finished.

2. Wood Furniture Polish. Wipe with a teaspoon of olive oil and a soft rag. Add a bit of vinegar of citrus juice to bulk up the cleaning power, and add a fresh scent.

3. Fingernails. Use a bit of olive oil to moisturize cuticles, or mix oil and water and soak your hands before a manicure.

4. Lubricate Measuring Cups and Spoons. Rub or spray olive oil on your measuring tools for easy clean-up of sticky substances like honey, grain mustards, and sugar syrups,

5. Control hair frizz. Comb a bit of olive oil through dry hair to tame the frizz and flyaways on humid days or in the winter.

6. Free a stuck zipper. Use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the teeth of a zipper, then gently ease the tab down.

7. Care for your kitty. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your cat’s food to help prevent hairballs, and provide a shiny coat.

8. DIY Lip balm. Mix olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio, with an essential oil for fragrance, and say goodbye to dry and chapped lips.

9. Stop Snoring. Take a sip of olive oil before heading to bed. It might lubricate your throat muscles, and stop yourself, or your partner, from snoring.

10. Shine stainless steel and brass. Rub a bit of olive oil on a clean rag to prevent streaks, corrosion, and tarnish.

11. Exfoliate your face and hands. Rub your skin with olive oil, then scrub with sugar or coarse salt, and rinse.

12. As you bathe. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to your running bath water. You’ll be amazed when you towel off.

13. Remove makeup. Dab a bit under your eyes, on your cheeks and forehead, then wipe with a damp cloth.

14. Cure an earache. Very carefully, use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help with earaches and excess wax.

15. Remove paint from your skin. Rub on olive oil onto messy hand and arms (or faces) and allow the oil to soak into the skin for five minutes, then rinse with soap and water.

16. Treat lice. Apply olive oil to your youngster’s hair, and leave on for at least 40 minutes. Shampoo twice, then apply a preventative.

17. Stop a throat tickle. Take a sip of olive oil to stop the itchy flicker that is making you cough.

18. Fix a squeaky door. Use a rag or cotton swab to apply olive oil to the top of a problematic hinge in your home or automobile.

19. Shoe polish. Rub down your shoes with just a spray of olive oil to maintain their shine.

20. Personal Lubricant. It works…

21. Soften your skin. Rub olive oil daily on notoriously dry areas, such as your feet or elbows, especially after a shower, shaving, or waxing.

22. Easy clean up of garden tools. Spritz some olive oil on your tools to cut down on dirt buildup. Read more here!

23. Condition leather. Rub olive oil into worn leather, such as a baseball glove, and let set for 30 minutes, then wipe away any excess.

24. As a hair tonic. Comb some olive oil through your hair for the vintage look of pomade without the build-up, or add a bit to wet hair for grungy, but clean, look.

25. Cure diaper rash. Gently wipe on olive oil to your baby’s bottom to help with the irritation of diaper rash.

Olive oil in Ancient Greece

In his book “Diet and Therapeutics”, Hippocrates wrote about olive oil:
” With warm olive oil to anoint the women who miscarried”, and especially in cases of advanced pregnancy and in cases of metrorrhagia was given a mixture of cooked wild olive leaves in vinegar.

Plutarch in “Ethics” refers to in the treatment of mastitis with “ydrelaio.” a mixture of water and olive oil.

At the sanctuary of Asclepius used the olive oil to manufacture special ointments and remedies. Drinks, finally, from olive leaves and flowers were used as cold drops for irritated eyes and for a stomach ulcer.

In a recent study estimated that the olive oil needed annually to the rich homes of ancient Athens was 200-300 kg a significant quantity if one takes into account the efficiency of the olive trees and the technological possibilities of extracting the olive oil.

The goddesses of Olympus used a kind of “paste” from olive oil, which is believed to have miraculous properties for the body.

In the Iliad, Ira anointed her body with an aromatic olive oil. And while women used perfumed oils, the men were confined to “pure” olive oil for cleaning and sanitation.

As regards the hygiene of the body, the ancient Greeks and Romans are perhaps the first to use olive oil to coat the muscles to keep them flexible.

In the Iliad, Odysseus along with Diomedes washed first with hot water and immediately they anointed their bodies with olive oil.

In the Odyssey we read about the bath of Telemachus in Sparta, where, after having washed, anointed his body with olive oil.

                 

                                                             Olive oil Pottery – Separator 

                                                          in Ancient Greece

                                                  For the separation of the olive oil

                                                         from the other liquids