Despite the growing interest in olive oil, most people know very little about what it is or how it is made. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of olive oil from the tree to table, from a molecular and personal perspective.

Growers often do not know what is happening at a molecular level or why certain practices produce superior or inferior results, for example, why adjusting a temperature rewards them with winning oils. This book aims to provide some of the answers as well as the importance of the chemicals responsible for the flavour and health effects. Readers will also get a deeper understanding of what makes an extra virgin olive oil authentic and how scientists are helping to fight fraud regarding this valuable commodity.

Including anecdotes from growers of olives and producers of oils, the authors provide an accessible text for a wide audience from food science students to readers interested in the human story of olive oil production.