11/09/2024 (Oils & Fats International) - Researchers have found that olive mill wastewater (OMW) – a bitter-tasting and previously discarded by-product of the production process – has protective and anti-inflammatory properties, The Guardian reported.

Left over after olives have been ground and their oil separated, OMW is a watery residue squeezed out from the remaining mulch.

After hearing reports of olive farmers who had taken to drinking it for health reasons, researchers became intrigued and started investigating the waste product, the 24 August report said.

Italian scientist Adriana Albini, a pioneering professor of cancer research had been studying OMW for a decade and said OMW extract could be helpful in the prevention and treatment of certain cancers.

Separate research had shown that OMW could support exercise recovery, improve metabolic markers and had the potential to help cardiovascular and neurological conditions, The Guardian wrote.

“Plants can’t run,” Albini was quoted as saying. “Their only defence is to produce secondary or tertiary metabolites, which ward off parasites. Many of these metabolites are poisons and we know that in certain concentrations, poisons can be therapeutic.

“Arsenic, for example, can be helpful in treating leukaemia. So, the idea is that these metabolites can help defend us from cancer. What plants use for their health, we can also use for ours.”

Albini said OMW contained at least 30 different types of polyphenols, which could contribute to gut health, with hydroxytyrosol being the most abundant.

Hydroxytyrosol could, research had shown, help brain and heart health, as well as reduce inflammation, he added.

https://www.ofimagazine.com/news/olive-oil-wastewater-heralded-as-new-superfood