This is an application of hydrogen water in food processing, and it does not indicate its effects on humans, animals, or plants. However, it shows the incredible biological effects of hydrogen water from another perspective. One aspect that is not clear is how the use of hydrogen water can double the phenolic compounds in olive oil. One possibility is that ordinary production processes cause these components to oxidize and be destroyed, while hydrogen water can prevent this from happening. This does not mean that hydrogen water creates something out of nothing.
The study explored the use of hydrogen water in the processing of olive oil and found that replacing regular water with hydrogen water reduces acidity, enhances antioxidant activity, and increases various antioxidant components. The results suggest that using hydrogen water instead of regular water can effectively improve the quality of olive oil.
The study also investigated the effects of washing crude olive pomace oil (CPO) with hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on its physicochemical, sensory, and phytochemical properties. The acidity and peroxide value of CPO washed with normal water (NW) and HRW decreased, with the largest effect seen with HRW. The improvement effect increased with the number of washing cycles. The color and p-anisidine value of CPO washed with HRW also decreased. The phenolic content increased in crude olive pomace oil washed with HRW, but decreased in NW-washed CPO. Hydrogen mixed into methanol and hexane can improve the extraction of phenolic compounds (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and antioxidants (DPPH and ABTS). The addition of hydrogen to the solvent resulted in a two-fold increase in TPC and TFC. Washing crude olive pomace oil with HRW can be an effective method for improving quality annotations and maintaining the nutritional value of the oil, while adding hydrogen to the solvent can better extract phytochemicals.
Crude olive pomace oil has the characteristics of high acidity (more than 3% oleic acid), dark green color, unpleasant odor, and taste. Therefore, it needs to undergo a refining process before it can be consumed. Crude olive pomace oil is obtained by using solvents other than halogenated solvents (usually hexane) or other physical treatments on the olive pomace, and does not include oil obtained from the re-esterification process. It has been reported that oils with high oleic acid content, such as crude olive pomace oil, are more resistant to oxidation and deterioration during frying and storage. In addition, modified oils containing high oleic acid and low linoleic and linolenic acids are less likely to deteriorate during frying, so they are added to oil formulations unsuitable for frying and are also used to improve the frying quality of these oils. Therefore, crude olive pomace oil is one of the most commonly used oils for modifying other vegetable oils, and its importance is gradually increasing.
Crude olive pomace oil cannot be used alone for human consumption because of its high acidity, unpleasant sensory taste, and high wax content. Therefore, it usually needs to undergo a refining process before it can be consumed. However, it has been reported that the refining process (physical or chemical) not only removes the harmful compounds (peroxides, ...) in crude olive pomace oil, but also removes some beneficial compounds, such as phenolic compounds, thereby reducing its nutritional value. The use of HRW in the washing process of crude olive pomace oil can help maintain the nutritional value of the oil while improving its quality.