Heating olive oil really hot makes it get gunkier — about 4.5 times more than at a lower heat — but even at the highest temperature, it doesn’t get gunky enough to be considered unsafe by food safety standards.

Scientific Claim

Heating extra virgin olive oil at 200 °C increases total polar compounds by an average of 4.54-fold compared to a 2.6-fold increase at 170 °C, with all samples remaining below the 24–27% regulatory threshold for frying oil replacement.

Original Statement

“Increasing the heating temperature to 200 °C led to an increase in the content of the polar fraction by an average of 4.54 times... In none of the heated samples did the value of the polar fraction exceed the limit for frying oils.”

From study:Effect of Heating Temperature of High-Quality Arbequina, Picual, Manzanilla and Cornicabra Olive Oils on Changes in Nutritional Indices of Lipid, Tocopherol Content and Triacylglycerol Polymerization Process

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The study used standardized AOCS methods to quantify polar compounds under controlled heating, enabling definitive statements about chemical changes without extrapolation to human health.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Effect of Heating Temperature of High-Quality Arbequina, Picual, Manzanilla and Cornicabra Olive Oils on Changes in Nutritional Indices of Lipid, Tocopherol Content and Triacylglycerol Polymerization Process

Cross-Sectional Study

In Vitro

2023 May 22

The study found that heating olive oil hotter (200°C) makes it break down more than at a lower heat (170°C), which matches the claim — and in both cases, it didn’t get bad enough to be unsafe by health standards.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Effect of Heating Temperature of High-Quality Arbequina, Picual, Manzanilla and Cornicabra Olive Oils on Changes in Nutritional Indices of Lipid, Tocopherol Content and Triacylglycerol Polymerization Process

Score: 6

DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104247

Similar Assertions

When subjected to prolonged heating, extra virgin olive oil generates significantly higher levels of polar compounds and lipid oxidation byproducts than coconut oil and ghee.

81%

When olive oil gets super hot, it starts forming gummy, big molecules called dimers — and the amount depends on the type of olive oil: blends with more Arbequina make way more than those with more Picual.

74%

Avocado oil breaks down faster than olive oil when reused for frying — it hits the safety limit for bad compounds after 10 uses, while olive oil lasts 13 uses.

73%

When you cook olive oil at very high heat, the good unsaturated fats break down faster than the saturated ones — especially in oils that started with more unsaturated fats, making them less healthy for cooking.

72%

Both oils can be reused many times before they break down enough to be considered unsafe by health standards.

71%