| Description |
C16 palmitic: 8.0% palmitoleic; C18 stearic: 2.0% oleic, 82.0% linoleic, 8.0% linolenic; total saturated acids: 14%; total monounsaturated acids: 77%; total polyunsaturated acids: 9% |
| Chemical Properties |
Olive oil is the fixed oil obtained by cold expression or other suitable mechanical means from the ripe drupes of Olea europaea. It occurs as a clear, colorless or yellow, transparent oily liquid. It may contain suitable antioxidants.
Refined olive oil is obtained by refining crude olive oil such that the glyceride content of the oil is unchanged. A suitable antioxidant may be added. |
| Chemical Properties |
clear yellow viscous liquid |
| Uses |
Pharmaceutic aid. |
| Uses |
Olive Oil is the oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees, olea europaea. it is used mainly for salad and cooking oils. |
| Uses |
Olive oil is used in food of salads, with sardines, etc.; emollient; for treatment of leg ulcers; in the manufacturing of soaps, textile lubricants, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. |
| Production Methods |
Virgin olive oil is produced by crushing olives (the fruit of Olea europaea), typically using an edge runner mill. The oil is then expressed from the crushed mass solely by mechanical or other physical methods under conditions that do not cause deterioration of the oil. Any further treatment that the oil undergoes is limited to washing, decantation, centrifugation, and filtration.
Refined olive oil is obtained from virgin olive oil by refining methods that do not alter the initial glyceride content of the oil. |
| General Description |
Pale yellow oily liquid. Insolube in water and less dense than water. Hence floats on water. Contains principally glycerides of oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids. |
| Air & Water Reactions |
Insoluble in water. |
| Reactivity Profile |
Olive oil react with acids to liberate heat. Heat is also generated by interaction with caustic solutions. Strong oxidizing acids may cause a vigorous reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to ignite the reaction products. Flammable hydrogen is generated by mixing with alkali metals and hydrides. React slowly with oxygen in the air to become rancid. |
| Health Hazard |
None-is a food. |
| Agricultural Uses |
Olive oil is a clear, edible substance obtained from the fruits of olive trees, the evergreen trees grown in Mediterranean climates. The fruit is pulped, pressed and finally extracted for oil. The best quality comes from the fust pressing of just ripened fruits. The unripe fruits are pickled, treated with a lye solution to remove the bitter taste, and stored in brine. When left in the open, they turn black and may be pressed thereafter for oil. |
| Pharmaceutical Applications |
Olive oil has been used in enemas, liniments, ointments, plasters, and soap. It has also been used in oral capsules and solutions, and as a vehicle for oily injections including targeted delivery systems.
It has been used in topically applied lipogels of methyl nicotinate.It has also been used to soften ear wax. Olive oil has been used in combination with soybean oil to prepare lipid emulsion for use in pre-term infants.
Olive oil is used widely in the food industry as a cooking oil and for preparing salad dressings. In cosmetics, olive oil is used as a solvent, and also as a skin and hair conditioner. Types of products containing olive oil include shampoos and hair conditioners, cleansing products, topical creams and lotions, and sun-tan products. |
| Safety Profile |
Moderately toxic by intraperitoneal route. A human skin irritant. Combustible when exposed to heat or flame; can react with oxidzing materials. Some spontaneous heating. To fight fire, use CO2, dry chemical. When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes |
| Safety |
Olive oil is used widely as an edible oil and in food preparations and products such as cooking oils and salad dressings. It is used in cosmetics and topical pharmaceutical formulations. Olive oil is generally regarded as a relatively nonirritant and nontoxic material when used as an excipient.
Olive oil is a demulcent and has mild laxative properties when taken orally. It has been used in topical formulations as an emollient and to sooth inflamed skin; to soften the skin and crusts in eczema; in massage oils; and to soften earwax.
There have been isolated reports that olive oil may cause a reaction in hypersensitive individuals. However, these incidences are relatively uncommon.Olive oil is an infrequent sensitizer and does not appear to be a significant allergen in the USA, possibly due to the development of oral tolerance. |
| storage |
When cooled, olive oil becomes cloudy at approximately 10°C, and becomes a butterlike mass at 0°C.
Olive oil should be stored in a cool, dry place in a tight, wellfilled container, protected from light.
For refined oil intended for use in the manufacture of parenteral dosage forms, the PhEur 6.2 requires that the bulk oil be stored under an inert gas. |
| Incompatibilities |
Olive oil may be saponified by alkali hydroxides. As it contains a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, olive oil is prone to oxidation and is incompatible with oxidizing agents. |
| Regulatory Status |
Olive oil is an edible oil. Included in the FDA Inactive Ingredients Database (oral capsules and solution; topical solutions). Included in nonparenteral medicines licensed in Europe. Included in the Canadian List of Acceptable Non-medicinal Ingredients. For nontopical uses, refined olive oil is generally preferred. |
