Olive Oil Production

Producing Olive oil is an industrial process, the purpose of which is the extraction of oil from the olive fruit. The conversion takes place in a facility referred to as an oil mill and is performed in two phases. The pulp mill is where the grinding and crushing of the olive fruit takes place followed by the separation of the oil from solid and liquid components, this is known as extraction.

Fundamental principles: the actual olive oil is contained in the lipovacuoli of the mesocarp cells in the pulp of the olive. The process involves, the extraction of the liquid phase from the cells, separation from the solid fractions and separation of the oil from the aqueous phase.

Extra virgin olive oils are clearly distinguishable from other oils for two reasons: the raw material, represented by the flesh of the olives, and the method of extraction, represented by purely mechanical processes. The extraction of extra virgin olive oils requires impact, pressure, centrifugation, decanting, filtration, surface tension and the mechanical treatment of the emulsions.

Other production methods include the use of pressure and chemicals. It should be said that legislation and quality standards require the exclusive use of mechanical methods when producing Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Oil obtained with the use of chemical and physico-chemical methods are therefore identified as a different and distinct type of product from extra virgin olive oil.

Here are the steps used when preparing the olives for processing and the extraction of the oil.

• Milling

  Its purpose is to break the cell walls and drain the juices. Olive paste is typically produced in this step. Olive paste is composed of oil, water and solids.

• Kneading.

  Mixing the olive paste with water facilitates propels the emulsion, thereby churning the water and oil in preparation for the next step.

• Extraction.

  Its purpose is to separate the liquid phase, the water-oil emulsion, from the solid phase, the pomace. The residue consists of the solid residues of the skins, pulp, seeds and fragments of olive pits.

• Water-oil

  emulsion is generally indicated with the term of oil must. In reality it also contains a solid residue, known as sludge, which remains in suspension in the emulsion.

• Separation

  of olive oil from the water.