The market is flooded with products posing as elixirs, supplements, functional foods, and olive oil alternatives containing phenols obtained from multiple olive sources. This technically-oriented book will be of value to nutritionists and researchers in the biosciences. It unravels the body of science pertaining to olive minor constituents in relation to new chemical knowledge, technological innovations, and novel methods of recovery, parallel to toxicology, pharmacology, efficacy, doses, claims, and regulation. Topics include: the biological importance of bioactive compounds present in olive products; developments and innovations to preserve the level of bioactives in table olives and olive oil; and importance of variety, maturity, processing of olives, storage, debittering of olives and table olives as a valuable source of bioactive compounds. - Presents detailed information concerning the claimed benefits of olive oil and discusses the permitted health claim to EFSA on oils with natural phenolics - Recovery of bioactive constituents from olive waste is comprehensively described - Explores the relationship betwen phenolic levels and sensory evaluation - Features chapters on the clinical and cellular mechanisms and health effects of olive, important for functional foods research

The only single-source reference on the science of olives and olive oil nutrition and health benefits Olives and Olive Oil as Functional Foods is the first comprehensive reference on the science of olives and olive oil. While the main focus of the book is on the fruit’s renowned health-sustaining properties, it also provides an in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics of vital concern to producers and researchers, including post-harvest handling, packaging, analysis, sensory evaluation, authentication, waste product utilization, global markets, and much more. People have been cultivating olives for more than six millennia, and olives and olive oil have been celebrated in songs and legends for their life-sustaining properties since antiquity. However, it is only within the last several decades that the unique health benefits of their consumption have become the focus of concerted scientific studies. It is now known that olives and olive oil contain an abundance of phenolic antioxidants, as well as the anti-cancer compounds such as squalene and terpenoids. This centerpiece of the Mediterranean diet has been linked to a greatly reduced risk of heart disease and lowered cancer risk. Bringing together contributions from some of the world’s foremost experts on the subject, this book: Addresses the importance of olives and olive oil for the agricultural economy and the relevance of its bioactive components to human health Explores the role that olive oil plays in reducing oxidative stress in cells-a well-known risk factor in human health Provides important information about new findings on olive oil and lipids which reviews the latest research Explores topics of interest to producers, processors, and researchers, including the fruit’s chemical composition, processing considerations, quality control, safety, traceability, and more Edited by two scientists world-renowned for their pioneering work on olive oil and human health, this book is an indispensable source of timely information and practical insights for agricultural and food scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, physicians, and all those with a professional interest in food, nutrition, and health.

Epidemiological studies indicate that the consumption of natural antioxidants from such plant-derived sources as olive oil produces beneficial health effects. Olive Oil: Minor Constituents and Health provides a balanced understanding of the pharmacological properties of phenols and other bioactive ingredients in the composition of olive oil. It dis

This new olive oil handbook provides a wealth of detail about the analysis and properties of olives and their oil. It covers technological aspects and biochemistry, a description of detailed techniques, and an analysis of olive oil from the standpoint of general methodology.

Olive oil is considered to be such a crucial component of the so-called Mediterranean Diet' that, since 2010, it has been inscribed in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and is considered to be a very good dietary habit. In addition, a copious amount of scientific literature has provided evidence that regular consumption of olive oil is associated with longevity, healthier ageing, cardiovascular health, prevention and protection against cancer. Currently, olive oil is gaining a world-wide rise in popularity given that it is widely considered to be a functional food able to provide health and well-being. Indeed, in recent years, the consumption and production of olive tree products, such as olive oil as well as olive fruits, food containing olive oils, leaves, bioactive extracts and single molecules are also increasing world-wide. At the same time, scientific research about olive tree products is increasing exponentially, involving academics of several disciplines, especially agronomy, arboriculture, engineering, economics, food technology, medicine and pharmacology.

The Mediterranean diet is well-known worldwide and recognized as a nutrition reference model by the World Health Organization. Virgin olive oil, prepared from healthy and intact fruits of the olive tree only by mechanical means, is a basic ingredient and a real pillar of this diet. Its positive role in health has now been a topic of universal concern. The virtues of natural olive oil, and especially of extra virgin olive oil, are related to the quality of the fruits, the employment of advanced technologies, and the availability of sophisticated analytical techniques that are used to control the origin of the fruits and guarantee the grade of the final product. To enrich recent multidisciplinary scientific information concerning this healthy lipid source, a new special issue of Foods has been published.

Olive tree products provide a number of documented presentations of the production and quality of the two most important olive tree products: virgin olive oil and table olives. It is a source that familiarizes readers with recent approaches and innovations that can be introduced in the virgin olive oil extraction and stabilization technology and the preparation of table olives with emphasis on the presence of bioactive constituents. It also describes advances in the methods of checking authenticity and in the evaluation of attributes that may influence consumers' perceptions and preferences. Other topics discussed are squalene, a trove of metabolic actions, pigments, geographical indication, biotechnology in table olive preparation, and recovery of hydroxytyrosol from olive-milling wastes.

According to European legislation, extra virgin is the top grade of olive oils. It has a superior level of health properties and flavour compared to virgin and refined olive oils. Mediterranean countries still produce more than 85% of olive oil globally, but the constant increase of demand for extra virgin olive oil has led to new cultivation and production in other areas of the world, including California, Australia, China, South Africa and South America. At the same time, olive oil’s sensory properties and health benefits are increasingly attracting the attention and interest of nutritionists, food processors, manufacturers and food services. Progress and innovation in olive cultivation, harvesting and milling technologies as well as in oil handling, storage and selling conditions make it possible to achieve even higher quality levels than those stipulated for extra virgin oils. As a consequence, a new segment – excellent extra virgin olive oils – is increasingly attracting the attention of the market and earning consumers’ preference. The Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Handbook provides a complete account of olive oil’s composition, health properties, quality, and the legal standards surrounding its production. The book is divided into convenient sections focusing on extra virgin olive oil as a product, the process by which it is made, and the process control system through which its quality is assured. An appendix presents a series of tables and graphs with useful data, including conversion factors, and the chemical and physical characteristics of olive oil. This book is aimed at people involved in the industrial production as well as in the marketing and use of extra virgin olive oil who are looking for practical information, which avoids overly academic language, but which is still scientifically and technically sound. The main purpose of the handbook is to guide operators involved in the extra virgin olive oil chain in making the most appropriate decisions about product quality and operating conditions in the production and distribution processes. To these groups, the most important questions are practical ones of why, how, how often, how much will it cost, and so on. The Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Handbook will provide the right answers to these key practical considerations, in a simple, clear yet precise and up-to-date way.

Long used in sacred ceremonies and associated with good health, the nutritional and health promoting benefits of olives and olive oils have been proven by an ever-increasing body of science. From cardiovascular benefits to anti-microbial, anti-cancer, antioxidant activity and effects on macrophages and aptoptosis to cellular and pathophysiollogical process, olives and olive oils are proving important in many healthful ways. For example, reactive components in olive oils or olive oil by-products have now been isolated and identified. These include tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid elenolic acid and oleuropein. Oleic acid is the main monosaturated fatty acid of olive oil. These have putative protective effects and modulate the biochemistry of a variety of cell types including those of the vascular system. Some but not all components have been characterised by their putative pharmacological properties. It is possible that usage of these aforementioned products may have beneficial application in other disease. However, in order for this cross-fertilization to take place, a comprehensive understanding of olives and olive oils is required. Finding this knowledge in a single volume provides a key resource for scientists in a variety of food an nutritional roles. - Explores olives and olive oil from their general aspects to the detailed level of important micro-and micronutrients - Includes coverage of various methodologies for analysis to help scientists and chemists determine the most appropriate option for their own studies, including those of olive-related compounds in other foods - Relates, in a single volume resource, information for food and nutritional chemists, pharmaceutical scientists, nutritionists and dieticians - Presents information in three key categories: General aspects of olives an olive oils; Nutritional, pharmacological and metabolic properties of olives and olive oil; Specific components of olive oil and their effects on tissue and body systems

A staple food for thousands of years for the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region, olive oil is now becoming popular among consumers all over the world. Olive oil differs from other vegetable oils because it is used in its natural form and has unique flavor and other characteristics. More and more research suggests its healthful benefits including reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Olive Oil is a compact and readable text on the most important aspects of chemistry, technology, quality, analysis and biological importance of olive oil. The topics selected have been developing rapidly in recent years, and will provide the reader with a background to address more specific problems that may arise in the future. Readers can expect more contributors and chapters in the 2nd edition, as well as a glossary. - Includes the chemistry and properties of olive oils - Contains details on the healthful properties of olive oil minor components - Extensive informaton on the analysis and authentication of olive oils - Features an overview on the economics of olive oil in the world market