Olive oils

APPLICATION:
Cosmetics
Food industry
Biodiesel and electric production
Chemical and pharmaceutical industry

The olive oil has many uses since ancient times. Among global producers, Spain leads with more than 40% of world production, followed by Italy and Greece. Much of the Spanish crop is exported to Italy, where it is both consumed and repackaged for sale abroad as Italian olive oil. Although boutique groceries sell high-quality Spanish olive oil at a premium, Italian olive oil has the popular reputation for quality. However, chefs will often attest to the superior qualities of Greek olive oil. Incidentally, of these three competitors, Greece has the longest tradition of using the olive tree as a food source.

More info on Olive Oils

Olive oil is produced from the fruit of the olive tree, Olea europa, this has been a popular and useful foodstuff for over 6,000 years. Despite its popularity, olive oil is difficult to obtain because 1,300 to 2,000 olives only yields one quart of olive oil. The olive fruit is around 17% oil by mass.

Olives destined for oil are picked before ripening in the fall. This is usually done by hand to reduce foliage. After picking, the olives are rushed to a defoliator to remove any remaining leaves and stems. The olives are then weighed and washed with cold water. Next the olives are moved, via an elevator, to a press. The olives, along with the oil rich pits, are crushed and kneaded. This is done till a homogeneous paste results. This paste is kept cool to preserve the quality of the fatty acids.

The paste is spread by hand to metal plates. These plates are then stacked and pressed hydraulically to yield a liquid. The "first press" is centrifuged to separate the oil which is pumped into large stainless steel cisterns.

Purification of olive oil is somewhat different from the other oils. Impurities settle out in the stainless steel cisterns that the olive oil was pumped into after extraction. The oil can then be filtered to give the product a clear gold color. The good grades of olive oil are those which have not been thermally or chemically altered in any way. Although the FDA does not regulate olive oil grades, the best are labeled "extra virgin" and "virgin".1 The lower the acid content the better the olive oil. Only oils with less than 1% acidity are "virgin" olive oils. In addition to this, "virgin" olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olive paste. After the first pressing water may be added to the to the pumice. This is mixed and then pressed again. The liquid is centrifuged to yield a low quality olive oil. Its high acidity is remedied chemically. This oil must also be refined, bleached, and deodorized. Next it is then blended with "virgin" oil and packaged as "pure" olive oil.