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Potential Dangers of Pomace Olive Oil: Cheaper is Not Always Better
During my mother’s most recent search for olive oil at a local grocer, she selected a cheaper option which she had never purchased before.
This oil was shelved with dozens of other well-known, respectable olive oils, packaged in an attractive glass bottle, adorned with a hearty olive tree and wavering Italian flag, and beneath it all, the mysterious label “pomace olive oil.”
Unsure of what this meant exactly, but pleased with the price and the promises of various hype words and advertising jargon, my mother made the buy. Later she realized she had purchased a lesser grade of olive oil which lacked the expected flavor of her usual EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).
The smell, taste and texture of the imposter was nothing like extra virgin, and upon further inspection and a quick consultation of a number of sources, we found out that my mother, as well as a great number of other consumers complaining vehemently over the internet, had unwittingly purchased a bastardized product that wasn’t even olive oil — but something called “olive pomace oil.”
Further research revealed that the Spanish government, notorious for its strict regulation of olive oil products, had temporarily banned the sale of this grade of olive oil in July, 2001.
I had never heard of pomace olive oil at all and after a quick survey of friends and family, I found out that I was not alone. I was astounded by my own ignorance of this product and that of the general public, especially considering the potential dangers of consuming pomace oil from unregulated producers. So, just what is pomace olive oil, exactly?
While extra virgin olive oil is often denoted as being “first cold-press,” what is termed “pomace oil” cannot even qualify as being “second press.” Once the typical, mechanized extraction of olive oil from the olive fruit is complete, some 5 to 8 percent of the oil still remains in the leftover olive pulp or “pomace.”
Although the pomace oil that is extracted is still technically oil that comes from olives, this is done via the use of chemical solvents, and therefore should never be termed, directly or indirectly, as “olive oil.”
The International Olive Council (IOC), the intergovernmental organization responsible for outlining quality standards and monitoring olive oil authenticity, clearly defines olive oil as, “oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree, to the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or re-esterification processes.”
The amount of oil contained in the leftover pomace, which consists of the solid remains of the olive including skins, pulp, seeds, and stems, is so minimal that it cannot be extracted by pressing, but only through the combined use of chemical solvents (like Hexane) and extremely high heat.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL IS THE BEST FOR HEALTH
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