A good year for Greece
The year 2022 will be a good one for olive oil in Greece. Everywhere one looks locally, every tree seems to be ‘fortomeno’ – loaded with fruit, and the scenario is the same in many areas of the country. According to in.gr, national production is predicted to exceed last year’s figure of 227,000 tons by 29 per cent.
On an international level, the prospect is not so good, with the US Department of Agriculture predicting global production of 2.9 million metric tons, a reduction of 11 per cent on last year. Much of this will be in Europe. which produces 84 per cent of the world’s olive oil. The leading producers are Spain with 42 per cent of global production, Italy with 20 per cent and Greece with 18 per cent. In Spain prolonged conditions of drought are causing low yields and have prompted many olive farmers to switch to growing pistachios, a crop which is more drought-resistant and can yield up to 10 times the income of olives or grapes (The Guardian). In Italy a drop of 30 per cent is predicted, and for the EU as a whole a reduction of 35 per cent is forecast compared with last year.
For local olive farmers in Crete, the challenge now is to reach the harvest period without the crop being spoiled by the olive fly (dakos). The olive fly lays eggs in the olives and the activity of the emerging larva causes the fruit to turn brown and eventually to drop off the tree. The result is reduced yields and a poorer quality of oil. The end of October is a growth season for the pest, and its activity is favoured by wet weather. There are public spraying programmes every year but these are dogged by inefficient administration and shortages of manpower and chemicals.
With the growing popularity of “green” olive oil, which is harvested early and has a higher content of polyphenols, many farmers in Greece are harvesting in October, which also has the advantage of avoiding possible olive fly infestation later in the season.
Polyphenols – the magic ingredient
Polyphenols are naturally occurring organic compounds which have a strong anti-oxidant action. The class includes, among others, phenolioc acids, flavonoids, lignans and tyrosols. Flavonoids are found in many foods including catechin (tea, fruits), hesperetin (citrus fruits), cyanidin (red fruits and berries), daidzein (soybean), proanthocyanidins (apple, grape, cocoa), and quercetin (onion, tea, apples) (Wikipedia). Olives are particularly rich in polyphenols, with extra virgin olive oil containing 25 different compounds, of which the most significant are tyrosols, according to a source quoted by the Olive Oil Times.
Polyphenols have been found to have many health benefits due to their anti-oxidant properties, including a reduction in the risk of heart disease, lowering of blood pressure, reduction of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and increase in HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and lowering the risk of blood clots and type 2 diabetes.
One characteristic of extra-virgin olive oil, and particularly of the early harvested “green olive oil” is its bitter aftertaste and the burning sensation it produces at the back of the throat. These are not to everyone’s taste but they are in fact an indicator of quality, being due to the flavonoid polyphenols contained in the oil.
The Monell Center, based in Philadelphia in the US describes itself as “the world’s only independent, non-profit scientific institute dedicated to interdisciplinary basic research on the senses of taste and smell”. In January 2011, scientists from the Center and collaborators reported that a receptor known as TRPA 1 is activated by two structurally unrelated anti-inflammatory compounds. The first, oleocanthal, is a natural polyphenolic anti-inflammatory agent uniquely found in extra virgin olive oil, while the second, ibuprofen, is an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
They also showed that the TRPA 1 receptor is located a the back of the throat – exactly where the irritation caused by ingesting extra-virgin olive oil is felt. A similar irritation is also caused by taking ibuprofen. The observation had prompted earlier research which demonstrated that oleocanthal is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits activity of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, a pharmacological action shared by ibuprofen.
As reported by Monell, the findings may provide novel insights into anti-inflammatory pharmacology. “This receptor may be used to identify other anti-inflammatory compounds that, like ibuprofen and oleocanthal, help prevent major lethal disease,” said Paul A.S. Breslin, Ph.D., one of the corresponding authors and a sensory biologist at Monell.