Dr. Manuel Viso's warning: "Most of the black olives in Spanish supermarkets aren't black."
Olive consumption in Spain is around three kilos per person per year, according to data from Statista, a figure that is increasing as it is one of the most highly valued foods by consumers. So far, so good, as long as we don't talk about black olives , a very attractive variety due to their color and shine. In most cases, they contain an artificial additive, which we must distinguish when purchasing to preserve our health.
Although, like everything in nutrition, it depends on the amount you eat, overindulging in black olives (available on the market in thousands of varieties and with different dressings) could mean that we are introducing large amounts of an additive called ferrous gluconate into our bodies, which is not without health risks. Not all of them are present, since some of the black olives on the market are natural in color... but you need to know how to distinguish them.
Difference between green and black olives
Although green olives are widely consumed, black olives have aesthetic characteristics that make them especially attractive. When asked why some olives are green and others darker, the answer is that both color variations originate from the same fruit.
That is, the olive we see as green is because it was harvested in the early stages of development , and its color is due to its high chlorophyll content. The longer it is left to ripen, the more it will turn violet, then reddish, and finally black due to the increase in carotenoids . The former have a more spicy and bitter flavor, while the black, riper ones are more intense and juicy, with a meatier texture.
Regarding their nutritional profile, green olives contain higher levels of polyphenols than black olives. In both cases, despite being natural fruits, certain artificial treatments are used to improve the final result. While green olives are usually treated with alkaline solutions to eliminate bitterness, black olives are usually subjected to artificial oxidation to speed up ripening. And this is where the problem lies, according to Dr. Manuel Viso's post on his social media.
Viso begins by posing a question that most citizens have probably never asked themselves: "Did you know that most black olives in supermarkets aren't naturally black ?" Indeed, they aren't because their ripening process, which takes time, has been artificially accelerated, making them unprofitable products. This doesn't always happen, nor does it happen with all brands sold in cans, of course, but it does happen in most cases.
Distinguishing natural black olives from green ones that have been treated with ferrous gluconate to turn black quickly is easy: the former appear unevenly black, while the latter are "perfect," intensely black and equally shiny. "Natural olives tend to be wrinkled, combine brown or purple tones, and are available in more artisanal formats (such as in brine or vacuum-packed). Dyed black olives are smoother, uniformly black , and generally come canned."
Viso adds that to identify them, we should look at the label: "If you want to make sure they're natural, check the list of ingredients; if they include stabilizers E-579 (iron gluconate) or E-585 (ferrous lactate), they are dyed olives." Natural black olives are undoubtedly more expensive because they require a long ripening process.
20minutos
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