EVOO production site

[mccoy]

One of the various things I do at work is inspecting industrial machinery partly financed by the state. The other day I was at an EVOO production site. The machinery is relatively small, at the end of it fresh EVOO is collected by a faucet. The cycle takes about two hours per batch (from the loading of olives to the final product)

[mccoy]

They also had large table olives, which are soaked one hour in a NaOH solution, then rinsed repeatedly for one or two days, until the greenish hue in the water disappears. After that the olives are preserved in brine. The issue here is that the repeated rinsing probably removes part, or most, of the polyphenols (the greenish hue).

[mccoy]

I also was at an organic winery, where I tasted a wine incredibly rich in polyphenols, naturally spiced, superb taste, no sulfitesadded. That area is incredibly rich in wineries, some of which produce superlative red wines (I'm not interested in polyphenols-poor white and rosee)

 

[drewab]

Thanks for sharing these photos Mccoy! I cannot help but wonder if there is some way to consume olives in their natural state without the need for the use of any chemicals or processes that modified them from their natural state. I generally avoid olives due to their salt content, but the few times a year that I consume them (usually on a cheeseless plant-based pizza at a restaurant along with artichokes, arugula, and other goodies), they are damn good! I think that you are probably right that the repeated rinsing removes some of the nutritional content of the olives. 

[TomBAvoider]

On 11/7/2020 at 3:35 PM, drewab said:

Thanks for sharing these photos Mccoy! I cannot help but wonder if there is some way to consume olives in their natural state without the need for the use of any chemicals or processes that modified them from their natural state. I generally avoid olives due to their salt content, but the few times a year that I consume them (usually on a cheeseless plant-based pizza at a restaurant along with artichokes, arugula, and other goodies), they are damn good! I think that you are probably right that the repeated rinsing removes some of the nutritional content of the olives. 

Same here. I'm curious about eating olives, but again, I have only been able to eat the brine-derived green ones. The other thing, is to note the difference in processing between black and green olives and the impact on polyphenol count and generally nutritional profile. Many people also prefer the taste of kalamata olive oil, but I suppose at that point they're less interested in the health benefits aspect of it, just going purely for taste. I personally love the peppery taste of high-polyphenol count EVOO, but I once offered a bottle of super-high poly count EVOO I bought from Veronica Foods, to a friend who is a big fan of Italy and Italian food and travels there all the time. He tasted it with a bit of bread and said it was too much for him - too spicy!! I was blown away. I couldn't believe it. But there you have it. 

Anyhow, I wonder what the different ways of preparing olives are and which ones preserve the most micronutrients.

[mccoy]

20 hours ago, TomBAvoider said:

He tasted it with a bit of bread and said it was too much for him - too spicy!! I was blown away. I couldn't believe it. But there you have it. 

Unfortunately, the tradition here in Italy goes that the best EVOO must be sweetish, with no pungency. So many producers do whatever they can to lower the polyphenols concentration, by picking olives very ripe for example, and using particular processing methods. Things are changing a little now, but I find the reaction of your friend all too familiar.

[Ron Put]

Hah, thanks mccoy.  I searched for Jasci, as I thought I've seen it somewhere before and it's actually quite inexpensive on the East Coast here -- even with shipping, it ends up at around $15 per bottle.  I might try a case 🙂

As to EVOO, the more I research, the more I am sceptical of the claimed overall benefits. I do use olive leaf powder though in most of by stews, just in case 🙂

[mccoy]

Ron, I must ask the cost of Jasci Montepulciano at the winery, I think I saw something very inexpensive compared to the quality of the product, I'll call to be sure. The other local wines I tasted and liked cost at least 20 euros per bottle.

 

Hi-polyphenol EVOO: we may disagree on the claimed benefits, but I think we all agree on the end result it has on mixed salads and veggies.

I ordered a batch of just-produced HI-poly EVOO, and am looking forward to the huge mixed salads I'm having. I often wonder how people can become addicted to drugs when such foods are available. As expensive as it may be, a dose of top-notch EVOO is orders of magnitude cheaper than the average drug available. With no neuronal destruction as side effect.

 

[Ron Put]

On 11/11/2020 at 5:32 AM, mccoy said:

I ordered a batch of just-produced HI-poly EVOO

Do you use unfiltered EVOO? My understanding is that it's generally much higher in polyphenols than the filtered varieties.

[mccoy]

Ron, I don't know exactly about the filtered-unfiltered option, since today the modern centrifuges separate the solid fraction which is unwanted. The Oilalà organic oil which I ordered is not too opaque but has a polyphenols concentration of 700-800 ppms. Some of the parameters which rule the polyphenols concentrations are:

• Olive variety. Coratina is the richest in polyphenols, in Italy. Such concentration also makes it resistant to pathogens.
• slightly unripe olives
• Processing parameters and machinery. Oilalà is produced at 25°C temperature.

The oil has been delivered today, so I haven't tasted it yet, I still have some from last year. I'll report back, but shortly after production it's just ambrosia-like

 

 

 

 

[mccoy]

On 11/10/2020 at 9:53 PM, Ron Put said:

Hah, thanks mccoy.  I searched for Jasci, as I thought I've seen it somewhere before and it's actually quite inexpensive on the East Coast here -- even with shipping, it ends up at around $15 per bottle.  I might try a case 🙂

Ron I called Mr Jasci and, really, it's the best quality/price ratio I've ever seen, running at about 8 Euros per bottle here. I agreed that I'm going to send him a request for polyphenols concentration. By now I also tasted his Montepulciano Riserva, which is similarly excellent, you can feel the woody aftertaste (Riserva means aged in oak ).

The quality of this JAsci wine is comparable to other local montepulciano (d'Abruzzo) which cost over 20 Euros per bottle.

If you like to taste good wines, I would suggest another local rigorously organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Rosarubra Shaman, which is simply thick with fragrances and polyphenols. Pretty much strong also, with 15% alcohol. That's a more expensive wine, at 30 Euros per bottle, but it's very worth its price. If you are going to try it, be careful: Shaman Montepulciano and not Shaman Pecorino, which is a useless white, polyphenols poor wine.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by mccoy

[Ron Put]

On 11/13/2020 at 12:41 PM, mccoy said:

Ron I called Mr Jasci and, really, it's the best quality/price ratio I've ever seen, running at about 8 Euros per bottle here.

Thanks, mccoy! I will order it today 🙂

I have dramatically reduced my wine consumption over the past year or two, barely having a couple of glasses a week on average. But no harm to keep a case or two of good wine.  I find that many wines give me headaches as I get older and it screws up my sleep if I have more than 1.5-2 glasses.  I try to stick to smaller wineries, as they engage in less "wine magic" to make large batches taste the same.

[mccoy]

Ron, my consumption of wine is also erratic, the Jasci bottles were the first ones I had after a few months, and they lasted very little. Then, no more until the next batch. But I consume regularly digestive bitters, even though in very small amounts.

In my case, I notice a huge difference when drinking wine with an empty stomach and during or after meals. The difference is such and the feeling is so bad when the stomach is empty that I totally discontinued alcohol assumption without food in the stomach, even half a glass of wine is too much.

[Saul]

I have the same reaction.  I drink a small amount of red wine, twice a week (friday night and saturday morning) to satisy religious requirements -- always with a meal of fish and vegetables.

  --  Saul