The new edition of was held in Rome on Monday 27 January 2025. "Evolution: Discovering the Artists of Extra Virgin", a reference event for the extra virgin olive oil (EVO) sector. TheUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma participated as a partner of the event by presenting the training offer and research projects dedicated to quality and beneficial effects of EVO oil on human health.
During the intervention, the prof Laura De Gara, President of Master's Degree Course in Food and Human Nutrition Sciences UCBM, The prof Chiara Fanali, President of Three-year degree course in Food and Human Nutrition Sciences UCBM , prof Laura Dugo, Associate Professor of Food Chemistry UCBM, have highlighted how the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of EVO oil make it a high quality food, not only for its taste but also for its role in prevention of metabolic diseases. In particular, the value of greater awareness among consumers and restaurateurs was reiterated, so that EVO oil is recognized as a fundamental ingredient of the Mediterranean diet.
One of the topics discussed was the idea of a "National Oil Charter", a tool that could help provide qualitative indications to both restaurateurs and consumersKnowing from which area and from which olives an oil comes, which cultivars were mixed and in what quantities to obtain it, what the overall traceability is means giving back to oil an importance that is not yet recognized to a main food of our table and protagonist of the Mediterranean Diet.
L'Research Unit of Food and Nutrition Sciences UCBM he took part in the Violin project and in the context of the experimental activities, the concentration of some key molecules was measured in 174 Italian oils and 7 European oils, which allowed the publication of interesting data that give oil great value as health determinant. If it is true that all extra virgin olive oils are rich in bioactive molecules, among Italian EVO oils there is a large abundance and variety of beneficial components such as i polyphenols , Vitamin E. From the scientific evidence it is possible to affirm that all the oils analyzed have satisfied the guidelines of theEFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, which recommends the intake of a dose of 8-16 g of oleorupein and hydroxytyrosol complexes, representative phenolic compounds of EVO oil, for the prevention of hypercholesterolemia and for blood sugar control. Consuming 2 tablespoons of quality EVO oil per day, approximately 20 grams, allows you to reach this dose within your diet, thus contributing to maintaining your state of health.
The Italian oils analyzed by the Research Unit have shown variability regarding the content of bioactive molecules, attributable to the geographical areas of origin, with notable variations also regarding the taste, from the most bitter to the most spicy, to the most delicate: in all cases extra virgin olive oil is able to contribute positively to health, but it must be a quality product, traceable and whose origin and specific nutraceutical characteristics must be identifiable. Furthermore, even the waste products generated by oil production can be a wealth: they are excellent sources of bioactive molecules that are still very present and usable in the nutraceutical or cosmetic fields.
These and other topics related to the production, consumption and nutritional value of extra virgin olive oil are addressed in the Bachelor's and Master's Degree Courses UCBM that form experts in food science and human nutrition and in food technology and food design.
