EVOO MARKETPLACE COLORADO S ORIGINAL OLIVE OIL & AGED BALSAMIC SAMPLING ROOM DENVER LITTLETON ASPEN Mike Major, Ph.D. Owner EVOO Marketplace OVERVIEW EVOO Marketplace concept Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) overview? Myths & Misconceptions Health Benefits EVOO Chemistry Essentials Overview of Barrel Aged Italian Balsamic Vinegars 1
EVOO MARKETPLACE-A CONCEPT HISTORY: My family founded EVOO Marketplace in 2008. Our first store located at 15 th & Market in Denver, LoDo-Distric, is Colorado s original olive oil & aged balsamic tasting concept. To this day we are family owned & operated. We do NOT franchise. We take tremendous pride in offering the FRESHEST, & PURIST Extra-Virgin Olive Oils from around the World. ALL EVOO s are LAB TESTED to assure the HIGHEST QUALITY & STANDARDS. We also specialize in AUTHENTIC barrel aged Italian balsamic vinegars. Customers are encouraged to sample over 75 of the Worlds finest, AWARD WINNING EVOO s, Flavored Infused/Fused Olive Oils, AUTHENTIC barrelaged Italian balsamics, and Flavor Infused barrel-aged Italian balsamics. Infinite combinations of olive oils and aged balsamics for use in all cooking and baking applications (salads, marinades, desserts, beverages..) SO WHAT S THE BIG DEAL? WHAT IS OLIVE OIL?: Olive Oil is a fruit juice! Olive Oil MUST be consumed FRESH to appreciate HEALTH BENEFITS! Over 700 olive varietals exist. Flavor profiles vary based on varietal type, climate, soil conditions, quality of olives, and time of harvest (early, mid, late harvest). Country of origin is meaningless! PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s can be produced across the World. NOT ALL Olive Oils are created EQUAL! HOW CAN YOU TELL THE EVOO IS PURE, FRESH, HEALTHY & THE HIGHEST QUALTIY? 2
SO WHAT S THE BIG DEAL? THE OLIVE OIL UMBRELLA-DEFINITIONS Extra Virgin: Purist form, no sensory defects, COLD PRESSED, FIRST PRESSED. No chemical extraction! Acidity (FFA) < 0.8%. Health Benefits if consumed PURE & FRESH. How do you know???? Virgin: Second press, chemical extraction, sensory defects. Waste! >0.8% 2.0% Acidity (FFA). NO HEALTH BENEFITS! Lampante Oil: >2.0% Acidity (FFA) Not suitable for direct human consumption. Most of what is sold commercially is borderline Lampante because of sensory defects, presence of chemicals, & rancidity. HOW CAN YOU TELL THE EVOO IS PURE, FRESH, HEALTHY & THE HIGHEST QUALTIY? SO WHAT S THE BIG DEAL? THE COSTCO CONUNDRUM-10 gallons for $5 Vast majority of store bought EVOO is NOT PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO! Zero HEALTH BENEFITS At same time, high product cost, pretty bottles does NOT infer HIGH QUALITY! THE PROBLEMS: Two MAJOR problems exist-freshness & PURITY. EVOO Age-Expiration dates rather than HARVEST DATES (How FRESH is it?). Remember it s a fruit juice. Packaged in clear bottles (UV light degrades oil properties). Chemically refined &/or deodorized to cover up rancidity and other sensory defects. Blending-Most commercially available EVOO s are BLENDS of a small percent pure EVOO & the majority a less/unhealthy oil (grapeseed, safflower, canola ). HOW CAN YOU TELL THE EVOO IS PURE, FRESH, HEALTHY & THE HIGHEST QUALTIY? 3
MYTHS & MISCONCEPTIONS ITALY PRODUCES THE BEST EVOO Country of origin is NOT important! The BEST EVOO s come from all over the World (U.S.A., Italy, Greece, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, Australia.) Lab Testing (CHEMISTRY PROFILING) each EVOO is essential to knowing its FRESHNESS, PURITY, & QUALITY. I CAN T COOK WITH EVOO-IT WILL TURN INTO A CARCINOGEN: YES YOU CAN! PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO will tolerate heat up to ~425F. Chemical properties (FFA, Polyphenols) inherent in FRESH EVOO influence smoke point. Not all EVOO s are created equal! Heating a EVOO within its smoke point will NOT turn it into a carcinogen! How can millions of people in the Mediterranean region go wrong? All bets are off if the consumer smokes the oil. This is true for all oils. Toss it! MYTHS & MISCONCEPTIONS COCONUT OIL IS THE HEALTHIEST OIL: FALSE!!! Although Coconut oil has some health benefits (short chain fatty acids) these are outweighed by the FACT that Coconut oil is a SATURATED fat (solid at room temperature). Our bodies do not compartmentalize and segregate the GOOD from the BAD components. As a whole there is NO oil healthier than PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO! THE DR. OZ EVOO TEST: True EVOO will turn solid when placed into the refrigerator NO, THIS IS NOT HOW YOU TEST! Oils are fats and all fats have a solidification temperature. ALL OILS will solidify if put in a cool environment! HOW CAN YOU TELL THE EVOO IS PURE, FRESH, HEALTHY & THE HIGHEST QUALTIY? 4
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TRUE EVOO S Mediterranean Diet: At the core of the diet intake is PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO. EVOO is used for everything, including COOKING (heat applications). Many families have their own olive tree groves and produce themselves. Mediterranean region has one of the lowest incidence of cancer. HEALTH BENEFITS OF PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s are rich in Omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFAs (Good Fats). Living cells need healthy fats to survive! Cell membrane made of lipid (fat) bilayer. Diets consisting of MUFAs are linked to a lower risk of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s are loaded with polyphenols (ANTIOXIDANTS). Intake of antioxidants are beneficial for reducing cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radical damage is associated with many health disorders, including coronary heart disease, and cancer. HEALTH BENEFITS OF TRUE EVOO S PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO is rich in MUFA s 5
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TRUE EVOO S PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s are loaded with polyphenols (ANTIOXIDANTS). Intake of antioxidants are beneficial for reducing cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radical damage is associated with many health disorders, including coronary heart disease, and cancer. PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s contain Tocopherols which are Pro- Vitamin E compounds-essential in controlling LDL/cholesterol levels. Also impart antioxidant effect and protect cells from free radical damage. PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO s contain Oleocanthals which is a natural phenolic compound which exerts both ANTIOXIDANT & ANTI- INFLAMMATORY effects (COX inhibitor). Its presence is known by a throat burn when ingesting PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO. Increases in Olecanthal consumption is associated with lower incidence of heart disease, Alzheimer's, inflammatory degenerative joint diseases, and cancer. HAVE A SHOT OR TWO OF FRESH, PURE, HIGH QUALITY EVOO EVERY DAY! BETTER THAN A FISH OIL PILL How does the consumer know they re consuming FRESH, PURE, HEALTHY EVOO OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY? Lab testing is the ONLY way! The numbers don t lie and tell us exactly the FRESHNESS, PURITY, & QUALITY. The lab results are a way to level the playing field between other commercially available EVOO s. There is NO other way! EVOO quality standards are set by the big companies (IOOC). The regulations that do exist are extremely loose, and seldom enforced. This allows for an influx of poor quality EVOO into the retail/commercial marketplace. What 60 Minutes forgot to tell you. Testing Procedure Olives are picked directly from trees and crushed within hours of the harvest. Sample of the EVOO is sent for analysis at an independent lab. We test for the following olive properties: Free Fatty Acid (FFA), Oleic Acid (MUFA s), Peroxides, Polyphenols (Antioxidants), Diacylglycerol (DAG s), & Pyropheophytins (PPP s). 6
HARVEST/CRUSH DATE: Knowing the HARVEST DATE provides the most accurate insight into the FRESHNESS of the EVOO. Expiration/Best Before date tells consumer nothing about FRESHNESS. EVOO is perishable, not shelf-stable, ages and loses health benefits/flavor characteristics, chemistries decline over time. PURE, FRESH, HIGH QUALITY EVOO should maintain freshness if stored properly for 18-24mo. DO NOT REFRIDGERATE. FIRST PRESSED/COLD PRESSED TERMS: ALL EVOO s MUST be First/Cold pressed First Press-olives can ONLY be crushed once. Cold Press-olives MUST be crushed between 65-85F. A lower temperature olive crush will sacrifice oil yield but EVOO produced will be super high quality with full health benefits intact. Higher temperature olive crush yields more oil but sacrifices quality as heat degrades oil. BALANCE FREE FATTY ACID (FFA): Measurement of the EVOO s acidity. Provides insight into the quality of the olives. Also impacts smoke point of EVOO. Lower the FFA = HIGHER QUALITY & HIGHER SMOKE POINT. Influenced by condition of fruit prior to crushing & time between harvesting & crushing. Our EVOOs are harvested and fruit crushed within 3 hours to maintain chemistries. IOOC Standard: 0.8% EVOO Marketplace limit: 0.3% PEROXIDE VALUE (PV): Measurement of olive integrity at time of crush. Helps determine FRESHNESS of the EVOO. Poor fruit (cracked skins) = High Peroxide Value (exposure to air). Plumpers collected from ground will produce a large EVOO yield = POOR QUALITY IOOC Standard 20ppm EVOO Marketplace limit: 7ppm 7
OLEIC ACID: Omega 9 monounsaturated fat, HEALTY FAT. This measurement tells us if a EVOO has been diluted with another oil. Typical range of Free Acid Portion (FAP) 55-83%. No IOOC limit. EVOO Marketplace limit: >65%. POLYPHENOLS: Antioxidant component. FRESH EVOOs are loaded with polyphenols ranging from ~150ppm to 700ppm. Higher Polyphenol content is associated with more ROBUST EARLY HARVEST EVOO s. EVOO s with higher Polyphenol content have a higher SMOKE POINT. Protect EVOO from oxidation increase shelf-life (18-24mo). No IOOC limit. EVOO Marketplace limit: >150ppm DIACYLGLYCEROLS (DAGs): Measurement of FRESHNESS/AGE of EVOO over time. Conversion of internal chemical component from DAG s form 1-2 to DAG s form 1-3 over time. The more DAG,s 1-2 the better! IOOC: No limit AOOC limit: >40ppm EVOO Marketplace limit: >90ppm PYROPHEOPHYTIN (PPP): Measurement of ripeness of fruit at time of crush. Chlorophyll converts into PPP over time. The more Chlorophyll = less PPP (Good). The riper the fruit = high PPP (Bad) IOOC: No limit AOOC limit: <15ppm EVOO Marketplace limit: Varies based on time of harvest (early, mid, late) but most are <1%. 8
LOOSE STANDARDS = LOW QUALITY = NO HEALTH BENEFITS THE NEED FOR AWARENESS & EDUCATION EVOO Marketplace not only offers the finest EVOO s and Barrel-Aged Italian Balsamics, but we also strive to EDUCATE! BARREL-AGED ITALIAN BALSAMIC VINEGAR PERSPECTIVE WHAT IS BALSAMIC VINEGAR? Derived from the word Balsam Odor & Balsam wood casks Origin: Two regions in Italy (Modena & Reggio Emilia) Majority of Balsamics are made from White Trebbiano Grapes Grapes are cooked for 36-48 hours creating a caramelized Grape Must Grape Must is aged along with the Mother (acetobacter) culture in wood casks for a MINIMUM OF 12 YEARS (Italian standard). Wood casks consist of various woods (Oak, Ash, Mulberry, Juniper, Cherry..) Proper aging in old wood casks allows the Grape Must to condense, take in color, and form acetic acid (4-6%). Two varieties Traditional Dark Balsamics & White (clear) Balsamics 9
IMPOSTER PRODUCTS YOUNG VINEGARS Italy produces the finest Balsamics in the World but unfortunately they also produce the majority of imposter Balsamics. It is estimated that > 80% of Balsamic Vinegars sold in the United States could never be sold in Italy for the following reasons: 1. Lack of age (less than 12 years of age) 2. Contain additives such as high fructose corn syrup, molasses, corn flour, xanthan gum, caramel coloring, added sulfites, added sodium. These additives make young vinegar appear AUTHENTIC & AGED by giving them flavor, color, sweetness and thickness. Similar to the issues with EVOO, balsamic vinegars are loosely regulated and therefore the market is flooded with imposter products. EVOO Marketplace offers ONLY AUTHENTIC Barrel-Aged Balsamics aged to the Italian standard of at least 12 years. ALL flavoring (Oils & Vinegars) ingredients are organic. No GLUTENS, No added sodium! STRAWBERRY CAPRESE SALAD Dr Collins cooking demonstration Strawberry Caprese Salad Strawberry Barrel Aged Italian Balsamic EVOO Marketplace Basil Infused Olive Oil EVOO Marketplace Note: All infusions are performed using organic ingredients 10