Professor Pat O’Hara
September 30, 2016
Olive Oil is a substance that has been
processed and consumed by humans in the Mediterranean region for
millennia. Today, olive oil is a found
around the world including Brunswick Maine, where the nearest olive tree is
more than 1000 miles away. Still, the
Mediterranean region, particularly Spain, remains the major supplier of oil to
the rest of the world. What is it about
the molecular composition of olive oil that makes it distinct from other types
of fat/oil such as corn oil, butter, or canola oil? How are we to read the labels, and what are
the chemical differences in oils labeled as “extra virgin” or “pure” or
“light?” Is this important to the
quality of the oil? Why has the American
Heart Association characterized extra virgin olive oil as a “heart healthy oil”
and recommends consumption of about 4 tablespoons (60 ml) per day?” Why do some people say that the oil should
not be used for frying? What are
scientists doing to help consumers by identifying fraudulently produced oils or
oils that might no longer be extra virgin.
We will explore these and many other interesting questions and find out
that, as in many things, the answers lie in an understanding of the chemistry
of the oil.
Patricia B. O’Hara is the Lisa and Amanda Cross
Professor of Chemistry and has been at Amherst College since 1983. Her current
research is in biophysics, where she and her students use fluorescence spectroscopy
to detect macromolecular dynamics and function. Most recently, she has expanded
her interest in food science, developing a course in Molecular Gastronomy and
writing and teaching about Olive Oil Chemistry.
She served Dean of New Students at Amherst College from 2010-2014. She
and her husband Rich spent the 2014-2015 academic year exploring the production
of olive oil around the Mediterranean and in the Southern Hemisphere. Their upcoming book, “The Chemical Story of
Olive Oil From Grove to Table” will be available in 2017 from the Royal Society
of Chemistry Press.
