How Many Types of Olive Oils Are Available in The Market and How Are They Different?

The amazing health benefits of olive oil know no bounds. Thanks to the brilliant variety of olive oils present in the market, one can keep experimenting with it and yet gain all the nutrition it has to offer from that. So in order to help you benefit from olive oil, here is a variety of them available in the market.

Olive oil, in recent times, has come to be known as one of the healthiest oils on the planet without a doubt.  However, because there is a vast variety of olive oils available in the market, knowing which ones to use for which recipe and what benefits they provide is extremely important.

In order to make this decision easy for you, here is a list of the different varieties of olive oil, their uses, and the benefits that they provide. Read on to find out.

1. Extra virgin olive oil

One truly cannot debate with the fact that extra-virgin olive oil is, without a doubt, is the best type or a variety of olive oil that you can lay your hands on. You might have heard about the brilliant health benefits that it provides to the consumer. However, did you know that these health benefits are essentially due to the natural extraction process that the olives go through to produce this oil?

The extraction of extra virgin olive oil takes place via a cold-pressing method. As a result of this, the nutrient content of the oil does not end up changing when it is subjected to higher temperatures.

If the brilliant nutrient value of the oil was not enough to sway you, let us also tell you that extra virgin olive oil also has lower acidity content when it is compared to other varieties of olive oil. Because extra virgin olive oil also ends up retaining most of its original nutrient value and fragrance, it really does turn out to be an amazing addition to your daily pantry health. These are precisely some of the reasons that make extra virgin oil one of the best olive oil products in India. 

2. Unrefined virgin olive oil

Virgin olive oil is another kind of olive oil whose extraction process mimics that of extra virgin olive oil. This is also an unrefined form of olive oil and is obtained by cold pressing olives. Containing natural aromas and flavors, refined virgin olive oil definitely makes it to the list.

There are however a few differences between extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil. To start off, the acidity content in virgin olive oil is between 1 to 4 percent, slightly higher than that of Extra virgin olive oil. Virgin olive oil also makes for a brilliant oil to cook with since it can withstand heat to a certain extent , unlike extra virgin olive oil which you cannot be used to cook with. 

3. Refined olive oil

When we talk about refined olive oil, we are basically talking about olive oil that has been extracted from either black or ripe green olives too. Refined olive oil however does have its drawbacks as it ends up having the least amount of pure virgin olive oil in it when it is compared to the other kinds of olive oils on the list.

Refined olive oil is not considered as healthy as extra virgin olive oil or virgin olive oil, however refined olive oil is truly amazing when it comes to cooking with it at higher temperatures. Another wonderful thing about refined olive oil is that the calorie and the fat content is the same as the other types of olive oil like an extra virgin and virgin olive oils as well.

4. Pomace

Pomace olive oil, though not considered as a very high-quality variety of olive oil because it is extracted from pressing the remains of the olive fruit, that does not mean that it does not have its fair share of health benefits as well.

You see, post the pressing of the olive fruit, the residue that is left behind basically contains water and oil. When this water and oil content is removed, the pulp continues to still have a little bit of oil in it. This oil is what is then extracted, bottled, and sold. In order to increase pomace oil's quality, it is sometimes also mixed with virgin olive oil.  Though it happens to be the least expensive olive oil available in the market it does make for a great oil to cook high heat foods with.

These are some of the most common olive oils in India that you can find.