Extra Virgin Solvents
Extra virgin olive oil is squeezed from olives by machine, nothing more. Yet a lower grade is extracted from the leftover paste with heat and solvents like hexane, then refined. It is legal and safe — but it is a world away from what the words ‘olive oil’ suggest.
The word virgin on an olive-oil label is not marketing fluff; it is a legal grade with a precise meaning. Virgin and extra virgin oils are extracted from the fruit by mechanical means only — crushing and pressing or centrifuging — with no heat beyond a gentle warmth and, crucially, no chemical solvents. That is the whole point. But the same olive harvest also yields a very different, industrial oil that most shoppers have never had explained to them.
What happens to the pomace
When the good oil has been pressed out, you are left with pomace — a damp paste of skins, pulp and crushed stones that still holds a little oil locked inside. Mechanical pressing cannot get that last fraction out economically. So industry turns to chemistry: the pomace is dried and washed with a solvent, typically hexane, which dissolves the residual oil. The solvent is then evaporated off, leaving crude pomace oil that must be heavily refined before anyone could stand to eat it.
Refining, residues and safety
Crude pomace oil is refined — neutralised, bleached, deodorised — into a bland, pale, odourless fat, then usually blended with a little virgin oil for colour and flavour and sold as ‘olive-pomace oil’. It is legal and, made to standard, safe to eat. The historical worry — and the reason for strict testing — is solvent residue and heat-formed contaminants; regulators cap these tightly, which is exactly why sensitive laboratory testing matters. But safe is not the same as good. Refining strips out the polyphenols and aromatics that make olive oil worth having.
How not to get fooled
This is where reading the grade pays off. ‘Olive-pomace oil’ and plain refined ‘olive oil’ are legitimately cheaper and fine for deep-frying, but they are not extra virgin and should never cost the same. The trick to watch is a fancy bottle and a vague label that lets a refined or pomace oil borrow the glamour of extra virgin. If it does not clearly say extra virgin, assume it is a refined grade. The word is the whole guarantee — which is why so much effort goes into blurring it.
| Grade | How it’s made | Solvents? | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin | Mechanical, first quality | No | Raw, finishing |
| Virgin | Mechanical, lesser quality | No | Everyday cooking |
| Refined ‘olive oil’ | Refined virgin + a little virgin | No (refined) | Frying, high heat |
| Olive-pomace oil | Solvent-extracted, refined | Yes (hexane) | Cheap frying only |
The takeaways
- ‘Virgin’ means mechanical extraction only — no solvents, no chemistry.
- Pomace oil is solvent-extracted from the leftover paste and heavily refined.
- It is legal and safe to standard, but stripped of polyphenols and flavour.
- Refined and pomace oils are fine for frying — but should be cheap.
- If the label doesn’t say extra virgin, assume it is a refined grade.
Solvents and olive-oil grades: common questions
Is extra virgin olive oil made with solvents?
No, never. By law, virgin and extra virgin oils are extracted by mechanical means only — pressing or centrifuging — with no chemical solvents. Solvent extraction applies to pomace oil, a separate, lower grade.
What is olive-pomace oil?
An oil extracted from the leftover paste of skins, pulp and stones using a solvent such as hexane, then refined and usually blended with a little virgin oil. It is the lowest olive-oil grade and legally must be labelled as pomace.
Is pomace oil safe to eat?
Made to standard, yes. Regulators cap solvent residues and heat-formed contaminants tightly, which is why laboratory testing matters. But it is refined and bland, lacking the polyphenols and flavour of extra virgin.
Why is pomace oil cheaper?
Because it squeezes value from a by-product that would otherwise be waste, using cheap industrial extraction. That is legitimate — it just should be sold clearly as pomace oil and priced well below extra virgin.
How do I avoid buying a refined oil by mistake?
Read the grade, not the bottle. Only a label that clearly says ‘extra virgin’ guarantees mechanical, unrefined oil. ‘Olive oil’, ‘pure’ or ‘pomace’ all indicate a refined product.
There is nothing sinister about pomace oil — it is a legal, safe, cheap frying fat wrung from a by-product. The only scandal is when it, or plain refined oil, is dressed up to look like the real thing. Learn the grades, read the word ‘extra virgin’, and never pay premium money for a refined oil.
Drawn from EU olive-oil grade definitions, the solvent (hexane) extraction and refining of pomace oil, and residue-testing requirements.