most delicate and stable, and most likely to
yield “extra virgin” oil (below). Finally, the
oil is separated from the liquid by centrifuge
or other means, and filtered.
The Color and Flavor of Olive Oil The result
is an oil that’s green-gold from the presence
of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments (beta-
carotene and lutein), more or less pungent
from a variety of phenolic compounds and
certain products of fat breakdown (hexanol),
and aromatic from dozens of volatile
molecules. These include flowery and citrusy
terpenes, fruity esters, nutty and earthy and
almondy and hay-like molecules; but above
all there are the grassy, “green”-smelling
fragments of fatty acids that are also
characteristic of leaf and other green
vegetables (artichokes), herbs, and apples.
Most of these molecules are generated during
the grinding and malaxation, when active
enzymes from the damaged fruit cells come