How to recognize quality

We at AgriOlea have put ourselves back into the game with great humility and willingness to learn, with a clear and distinct choice: to produce only high quality oils and spread the culture of oil.

To do this we started with the training (our staff includes two sommeliers of the Italian Sommelier Foundation FIS), as well as having obtained certificates of physiological fitness to taste virgin olive oils. The intent is to make the final consumer perceive all the value, work and planning that holds every drop of our oil.

We strongly believe in the experience of tasting to discover the qualitative and organoleptic characteristics of our oils, as well as the diversity that each olive cultivar is able to express, so as to be able to combine at best with every dish.

Extra virgin olive oil is an ally of wellness

High quality extra virgin olive oil can be defined as a functional food because it contains substances such as vitamin E, vitamin A, polyphenols, squalene and others, such as to make it one of the major representatives of the Mediterranean Diet, recognized throughout the world as a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Vitamin E performs many functions in our cells, it is essential to introduce it with food as our body is not able to produce it.

Squalene is a lipophilic substance, precursor of cholesterol.

Oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acid) in addition to intervening in the bone metabolism in youth, some studies have shown its function to preserve our intestine from an inflammatory drift that could go towards cancerous forms.

Moreover, we find a percentage of essential fatty acids (such as linolenic and linoleic acids) which are indispensable for the growth and functioning of tissues.

The polyphenols present in the oil called bio-phenols (which are good for life) are oleuropein (named after the olive tree, Olea Europaea), hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleocanthal.

Polyphenols are prebiotic molecules, they act indirectly by promoting the wellness of the intestinal microbiota. That is at intestinal level they allow the creation of a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria in the intestinal microbiota that have a protective effect on the intestinal mucosa. So if an oil is of quality, we are not only enriching a food but we are also introducing into the body of essential biomolecules.

It is important to note that only high quality oils have antioxidant action, lowering the levels of cholesterol and LDL plasma. Obviously to preserve the characteristics of functional food, the oil must be used raw if possible because the substances of health action are sensitive to high temperatures and degrade very easily. It must also be used in cooking because it protects the food from the aggression of oxidizing substances that are formed during cooking and introduced in our body fatigue antioxidant systems.

The bitterness and pungency of an oil derive mainly from the presence of these "positive substances" useful for our well being. The acidity of an oil, however, it should be remembered that we can never perceive it by tasting it but only by chemical analysis in the laboratory. It is a common mistake, in fact, to match the acidity of an oil to the organoleptic sensation of bitter and spicy.