Bio, an healty choice

Why consume our organic extra virgin olive oil?

First of all, let’s clarify what is meant by organic extra virgin olive oil.

Organic extra virgin olive oil is one of the few agricultural products deriving from a fruit by simple mechanical extraction and grown without the use of pesticides and fertilizers according to the European regulation.

The quality of this “fruit juice” is given by the delicacy with which all the processes are carried out: biological cultivation techniques, a harvest in the right period or at the right veraison, and the pressing carried out within 24 hours of collection.

What are the beneficial actions of Extra virgin olive oil?

Facilitates liver activity and regulates intestinal activity;
reduces the risk of gastric and duodenal ulcers, exerts a more effective laxative action on an empty stomach and helps to correct chronic constipation;
has a protective effect against the formation of gallstones;
it has anticancer effects, as supported by numerous researches, as the presence of polyphenols causes it to carry out a protective action against the cells, preserving them from the development of neuplasia (cancer). Scientific studies by swedish researchers have shown that taking 10 grams of extra virgin olive oil a day can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 45%.
performs an emollient action on the body, defending it from skin alterations;
it is useful for the elderly, as it carries and facilitates the absorption of vitamins d and k, fat-soluble vitamins which are essential in the processes of absorption and mineralization of bone tissue.

Curiosity about extra virgin olive oil

In the age of growth

It has a fat composition very similar to that of mother’s milk. • It gives foods a particular fragrance which stimulates the appetite in the weaning age.
Prevents stomach pains typical of childhood.
Promotes the digestibility of foods.
It stimulates bone mineralization and the assimilation of mineral salts, very important in children and the elderly.

For the care of your body

It can be used to heal the skin from burns.
In case of exposure to the sun’s rays, used as an after-sun, it has a moisturizing action on the skin, avoiding
redness and promoting a longer lasting tan.
Ingested away from meals, it has a regenerating effect on the skin, fighting wrinkles.
In case of severe skin irritations, it can be used to treat them.

In peasant culture

In case of cradle cap in infants, extra virgin olive oil was used to soften the crust and cleanse the baby’s head.
In case of skin irritations in babies, it was mixed with mother’s milk and rubbed on the irritated part to heal and regenerate the skin.
To prevent chapping of the hands and face, extra virgin oil was used instead of the common creams that are used today.
The hair of the women, who wore very long and always gathered hair, was anointed with oil by massaging the scalp before washing it.

In case of skin burns, the oil was used to relieve pain and promote skin regeneration.
In case of chilblains (redness due to the cold), a little extra virgin olive oil was spread on the affected parts
to relieve the pain and help warm up the cooled part.
In case of dermatitis, dry or chapped skin, it was used to cleanse the skin.

What does the science of extra virgin olive oil tell us?

Extra virgin olive oil has healthy properties due to its natural chemical composition.
This is why we at Azienda Agricola De Palma have made an important choice, to produce an exclusively BIO olive oil, respecting not only the taste of our consumers, but out of duty towards Nature which offers us its fruits. Our goal is to keep the characteristics and properties of our oil unaltered, free of any chemical product that could compromise the genuineness of the product. Organic extra virgin olive oil is a fundamental component in the Mediterranean diet indicated by modern nutritional science as an ideal model of nutrition whose main source of lipids is olive oil.
Compared to other animal or vegetable fats, olive oil provides lipids in a much healthier way: it is largely composed of monounsaturated fatty acids, and for this reason it guarantees a series of benefits for the health of our body – a substantial balance between “good” cholesterol (the one transported by HDL lipoproteins, which functions as an “artery sweeper”) and the “bad” one (which is instead transported by LDL lipoproteins). – a supply of extremely digestible fatty acids – a source of vitamins and an aid for the assimilation of the vitamins contained in other foods.

Olive oil is also very good as a cooking fat, precisely because it is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids which are more resistant to heat.

Our oils correspond perfectly to these criteria of excellence.
Free acidity:
The measurement of acidity is probably the oldest and most widespread determination referred to for product classification. Although its parameter alone is not sufficient to define the quality of an oil, it provides useful elements for evaluating the state of the olives at the time of their transformation. High quality extra virgin olive oils do not exceed 0.3-0.4% acidity Number of peroxides:
This parameter measures the oxidation state of the oil. All fatty substances are subjected to the phenomenon of oxidation which, if not controlled, progressively alters the structure of triglycerides with the formation of volatile compounds with an unpleasant smell and taste.
High quality extra virgin oils do not exceed 8-9meq/O2/kg of peroxides.

The beneficial properties of oleocanthal

According to the experts of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the oleocanthal present in extra virgin olive oil has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of ibuprofen, which is used in medical practice as an antiplatelet agent to improve blood circulation.
It is the aldehyde that causes the typical “tingling” in the throat that is experienced by ingesting extra virgin olive oil. Gary Beauchamp and Paul Breslin have published a study in Nature which highlighted the effects on the body very similar to that caused by ibuprofen.
By acting on the enzyme responsible for inflammation, oleocanthal would be able to relieve pain.
As for “the dosage”, they stated that it would be necessary to ingest 500 grams of olive oil to obtain the same analgesic effects as the recommended dose of ibuprofen for adults.
This means that taking olive oil is not enough to replace ibuprofen, but a prolonged use of the main condiment of the Mediterranean diet can have positive effects on the body.

Extra virgin olive oil helps prevent alzheimer

As evidence of the continuous attention of the international scientific community on the beneficial effects of olive oil, the National Institutes of Health has maintained that extra virgin olive oil, and in particular one of its components, oleocanthal, would also protect from Alzheimer’s disease.
It has in fact been discovered that this component, proper and specific to olive oil, helps to decrease the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, believed to be responsible for nervous degeneration.
The experiment, conducted on cultured brain cells of laboratory mice, showed that oleocanthal would stimulate the production of two enzymatic proteins that would allow the beta-amyloid to be removed from the brain more effectively and rapidly.

The beneficial properties of oleuropein

To the benefits of oleocanthal are added those of oleuropein, a substance present in various parts of the olive tree (fruits and leaves), responsible for the bitter taste that is often perceived by consuming extra virgin olive oil.

Olerupeine is a molecule that has recently aroused the interest of researchers above all for its marked anti-oxidant action.

The molecule protects living cells from multiple damages caused by free radicals produced by various causes: radiation, pollutants, physical and/or mental stress, smoke, ultraviolet rays, infectious agents such as viruses and/or bacteria.

Its most important actions are:

Anti-carcinogenic action
The molecule protects cells from possible attacks by oncogenes, minimizing their dangerous effects and neutralizing the mutagenic potential.

Anti bacterial and anti viral action
Tissue protective action
The molecule carries out a proven protective action at the level of tissue cells, delaying their aging and keeping them alive and vital for longer.