Unrefined olive oils are those that, once extracted, undergo no further treatment before being consumed. According to this definition, unrefined olive oils are exclusively virgin olive oils: oils obtained solely by mechanical means and therefore never coming into contact with solvents or chemical products. They are the natural juice of the olive.
However, if we take a very strict approach to the definition, raw olive pomace oil could also be considered an unrefined olive oil. However, this type of oil is not suitable for human consumption until it has undergone a refining process.
Why can unrefined olive oil be consumed?
Very few vegetable oils can be consumed without being refined. This is because, in most plant species, the oil is contained inside the seed.
For example, sunflower oil is found inside sunflower seeds, which contain relatively small amounts of oil along with water. Unlike olives, sunflower seeds cannot simply be pressed to extract their oil. The same applies to rapeseed oil and many other vegetable oils.
Olive oils obtained from olives in poor sanitary conditions are also refined, as are oils affected by defective production processes or inadequate storage conditions.
Unrefined olive oils retain the natural substances found in olives, including carotenes, tocopherols and polyphenols, many of which have beneficial properties. (Composition of unrefined olive oils).
During the refining process of low-quality olive oils, such as lampante olive oil,
various processes are used to remove undesirable characteristics and improve aspects such as flavor, aroma, color and acidity. You can learn more about the refining process and refined olive oils here.
Las Valdesas unrefined olive oils
At Las Valdesas, we only produce unrefined olive oils of the highest quality, namely Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We also offer some of our olive oils not only unrefined but, in some cases, unfiltered, with minimal processing. (See the difference between filtered and unfiltered olive oils).
Every year, we analyze our olive oils to assess their quality and confirm that they are free from pesticide residues. Our aim is to offer the most natural and highest-quality olive oils possible: authentic olive juice. (See the analysis of our olive oils).