Even if you remove most air from olive oil, some healthy compounds still break down—but if air gets in occasionally, they break down even more.

Scientific Claim

Periodic exposure to oxygen causes more significant oxidative degradation of secoiridoids in extra virgin olive oil than storage under nitrogen-purged conditions, though degradation still occurs even with nitrogen saturation.

Original Statement

“although it was more relevant if a periodical exposure to oxygen was performed, a non-negligible oxidative degradation occurred on secoiridoids also when nitrogen was used to saturate the container headspace”

From study:Insight into the Storage-Related Oxidative/Hydrolytic Degradation of Olive Oil Secoiridoids by Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design cannot support claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

Based on abstract only - full methodology not available to verify. The language describes relative degradation levels without asserting causation, which is appropriate for the observational in vitro design.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Insight into the Storage-Related Oxidative/Hydrolytic Degradation of Olive Oil Secoiridoids by Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Cross-Sectional Study

In Vitro

2020 Nov 4

Even if you remove air from the olive oil bottle and fill it with nitrogen, some damage still happens to the healthy compounds—but it’s much worse when the bottle is opened and exposed to air repeatedly.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Insight into the Storage-Related Oxidative/Hydrolytic Degradation of Olive Oil Secoiridoids by Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Score: 4

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c04925

Similar Assertions

When olive oil is stored for a long time with air or light, its natural healthy compounds break down into different chemicals, some of which are less beneficial.

80%

Frying olive oil too long breaks down its natural compounds and creates new ones—but adding olive extract slows this breakdown and even boosts total antioxidants for the first few hours.

76%

When olive oil sits too long, its natural compounds break down into simpler molecules like tyrosol and 3-hydroxytyrosol, which are also found in other foods.

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Storing olive oil in dark glass or a metal can helps keep its healthy compounds intact better than clear plastic bottles—metal cans produce the fewest bad breakdown products.

71%