Four Recent Discoveries Involving Olives or Their Oil

As the seasons change, let’s acknowledge some favorite summery meals featuring olive oil. This “green gold” contains healthy fats and antioxidants, making it ideal to drizzle over a salad, blend into a pesto or sop up with some crusty bread. Researchers publishing in ACS journals are looking into ways to maintain olive oil quality, as well as finding new uses for the fruits.

A new kind of olive-y “oil”

Scientists publishing in ACS Omega experimented with leftover material from the olive oil extraction process to reinforce crude oil wells and replace a chemical additive. After drilling one of these wells, the hole is reinforced with special cements that can withstand high temperatures and pressures. The olive-treated cement showed no changes to its viscosity but exhibited improved durability, increased compressive strength and decreased permeability compared with a conventional cement. The use of olive-treated cement could be a way to effectively upcycle olive waste and minimize the use of chemical additives in oil well cements.

Anti-aging molecules in olives

A lipophenol identified in the leaves and fruits of the olive tree could help prevent skin aging. Described in ACS Food Science & Technology, the compound is known as homovanillyl oleate (HvOle). Lipophenols are reported to be highly available within the body and able to withstand metabolic processes, and this work found that HvOle reduces oxidative stress in human skin cells. The compound could be incorporated into future cosmetic treatments, the researchers say.

Keeping olive oil extra authentic

Pure olive oils can be expensive, leading some manufacturers to dilute them with other, cheaper vegetable oils. Detecting adulterations like this can be tricky, but scientists reporting in ACS' Analytical Chemistry developed a DNA-based sensor that makes analysis visible to the naked eye. In demonstrations, the device detected and identified seven plant oils—olive, corn, sesame, soy, sunflower, almond and hazelnut—at concentrations as low as 5%. The researchers claim this is the first DNA sensor for this purpose.

How stink bugs can stink up olive oils

The stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) originated in Asia and has spread across much of the globe. And, when stink bugs feast on olives, their unique stench carries over to the fruits, too. Researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology found that stink bug infestations of olive trees can significantly reduce the oil quality of those fruits. Oils from two cultivars tainted by the insects contained fewer positive flavor compounds and, according to taste-testers, had a more negative sensory perception than oils from trees not impacted by the insects.

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