Olive oil Production

Spanish olive oil

Obtaining virgin oils

Olive tree

Typical mediterranean
Slowly grow
Fully productive ages: 35-100 years

Flowsheet

Olive tree
Olive
Transport
Mill

Washing
Crushing
Grindling

Press/centrifugu
e

pressing
centrifugation
decantation

Virgin olive oil

Storage

1. Harvesting the fruit

Olives trees flower in spring
Change from green to black
End autumm/beginning winter harvest
- picked by hand or beaten from the
trees with baras
-mechanical tree shaking methods

2. Transport to the oil mill

The olives must be free of stones
To avoid braking the skin, as this would
lead the beginning of the fermentation

The olives must not be piled up high or

else they will heat up and start to
ferment.
Olives must be processed within 24
hours after they are harvested to
obtain quality olive oil

3. Washing

On the conveyor belt the leaves are

separated by an air current

They are washed with normal water

after they are selected for quality

4. Grinding to prepare the

paste
Grinding consists of crushing the fruit
(including the pits - ?) until a paste is
formed which is then beaten. Water
is added if necessary.

5. Separation of solid and

liquid phases (oil extraction)
Several methods, but it is essential that
the temperature does not exceed 35 C
Traditional system (pressing)
Classic discontinuous plants
These are the classic plants maintained throughout
the centuries. The ground paste is placed between
round mats and is then pressed to squeeze out the
oily liquid (mixture of oil and water). It is later left to
decant, as the oil floats to the top due to density
differences.

5. Separation of solid and

liquid phases (oil extraction)
Continuous system (by centrifugation)
Continuous plants in 3 phases

The beaten olive paste is made more liquid by

adding 1 litre of water per kilogram of paste and
is taken to a horizontal centrifuge where solids
are separated from the oily liquid. This liquid is
then taken to a vertical centrifuge where the
olive oil is separated from the fruit vegetable
water.

Continuous plants in 2 phases

The process is practically the same as the one

described above, with the difference that instead
of adding water for the horizontal centrifugation,
the vegetable water is recycled.

Advantages of the continuous

system
High production capacity, which avoids

having a stock of olives and therefore

increases the oil's quality
Improves performance, cleanliness and
hygiene
In the 2 phase plants, recycling the
vegetable water means the oil has a larger
quantity of polyphenols, natural protectors
against oxidation

6. Storage
Walls and ceilings insulate against

high temperatures and which does

not add strange smells to the oil.
Temperature is between 15 and 18
C to allow the oils to mature without
oxidation.
There must not be much light.

Non Virgin Oils

Refining
Due to climate conditions, the type of
soil and so on, virgin oils can have
several defects, such as high acidity, a
strange colour or aroma, etc. which
makes them unsuitable for human
consumption ("lampante oils"). They
have to undergo a refining process to
eliminate defects.

Refining
1. Classic alkaline refining
This has 3 phases. Each one tends to eliminate
a specific process:
-neutralisation
-bleaching
-deodorisation

2. Physical refining
It is different from the previous method as acid
water is used instead of soda to purify the oil
and the temperature is higher.

Kinds of olive oils (Virgin oil)

Extra virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a

free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more

than 0.8 grams per 100 grams
Virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a free
acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 2
grams per 100 grams
Ordinary virgin olive oil: virgin olive oil which has a
free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more
than 3.3 grams per 100 grams
Virgin olive oil not fit for consumption as it is,
designated lampante virgin olive oil, is virgin olive
oil which has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid,
of more than 3.3 grams

Kinds of oils (refined oils)

Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils

by refining methods which do not lead to alterations in the

initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as
oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams
Olive oil is the oil consisting of a blend of refined olive oil and
virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. It has a free
acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 1 gram per
100 grams
Olive-pomace oil is the oil obtained by treating olive pomace
with solvents or other physical treatments, to the exclusion
of oils obtained by re esterification processes and of any
mixture with oils of other kinds. It is marketed in accordance
with the following designations and definitions:
Crude olive-pomace oil
Refined olive pomace oil