Olive pomace oil facts for kids

Olive pomace oil is a type of olive oil that comes from the leftover parts of olives after the first pressing. When regular olive oil is made, some oil still stays in the olive pulp. To get this last bit of oil out, special liquids called solvents are used. This is a common way to make many other cooking oils, like canola, peanut, and sunflower oil.

Even though it comes from olives, this oil can't just be called "olive oil" when you buy it. This is because the International Olive Council, which sets rules for olive oil, says that "olive oil" must be made only from olives without using solvents.

Different Kinds of Olive Pomace Oil

The International Olive Council sorts olive pomace oil into a few types:

Crude Olive Pomace Oil

This is the very first oil extracted from the olive pulp using solvents. It's not ready to eat yet. It needs more cleaning and processing before it can be used for food or for other industrial purposes.

Refined Olive Pomace Oil

This oil is made by cleaning and processing the crude olive pomace oil. It has very low acidity (less than 0.3 grams per 100 grams). This refined oil is much cleaner and can be used in food products.

Olive Pomace Oil (The Blend)

This is the kind you might see in stores. It's a mix of refined olive pomace oil and a small amount of virgin olive oil. Virgin olive oil is a higher quality oil. This blend has an acidity of no more than 1 gram per 100 grams. It's important to remember that even this blend cannot be simply called "olive oil."

Safety and Quality Checks

Sometimes, concerns have been raised about olive pomace oil. For example, the British Food Standards Agency and other groups have looked into it. They noted that olive pomace oil is a very small part of the total cooking oil used.

The Spanish government once found high levels of certain chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in some olive pomace oil. Some PAHs can be harmful. It was thought that these chemicals might have gotten into the oil during the way it was processed. Because of this, Spain temporarily stopped the sale of olive pomace oil. Now, strict rules are in place to make sure that the amount of PAHs in olive oil is very low and safe.

Nutrition Facts

Here's what you get in about 100 milliliters (a small cup) of olive pomace oil:

• 824 Kcal (energy)
• Total fat: 100 ml
• Saturated fat: 14 ml
• Polyunsaturated fat: 7 ml
• Monounsaturated fat: 79 ml
• Cholesterol: 0
• Total carbohydrates: 0
• Proteins: 0
• Sugars: 0
• Fibre: 0
• Sodium: 0

See also

In Spanish: Aceite de orujo de oliva para niños