The production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, pure olive juice, has not changed over the centuries, only the tools and processes in search of better yield.
The Harvest
In a previous chapter of our blog, we already explained in detail the process of olive harvesting and the different methods used to carry it out.
It is enough to briefly recall that olives must be collected at their optimal ripeness, and for the production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, preferably using methods that cause the least possible damage to the fruit, such as handpicking, shaking, or using a method that extracts the fruits by shaking the olive tree branches.
Harvesting olives by beating has its detractors as it can damage the fruit, and as mentioned, it is important that the olives reach the mill in perfect condition.
On the other hand, collecting olives from the ground, whether by hand or with sweepers, is not recommended for Extra Virgin Olive Oils, as fallen fruits are usually too ripe for this type of oil.
Once harvested, the olives must be taken to the mill as soon as possible to start production, following the steps we describe below.
Crushing and Storage
Once at the mill, the olives are washed and cleaned of leaves, branches, stones, soil, and other impurities, and are separated into groups according to quality. If there are different olive varieties in the orchard of origin, they can either be sorted to produce single-variety extra virgin olive oils or kept mixed to produce oils known as “blends”.
Next, the crushing process begins, which consists of grinding the fruit preferably on the same day of harvest, or within 24 hours, to avoid fermentation or oxidation. This process uses hammer mills or stone grinders that break the plant tissues, obtaining a homogeneous paste that is cold-pressed to extract the oil and water from the olives.
The paste can also be stirred at room temperature, and through centrifugation, the oil is obtained along with pomace and vegetation water due to their different densities.
By decantation, the water is separated from the oil, either naturally or using centrifuges.
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil already produced is stored, currently in stainless steel tanks, protected from light and at a constant temperature around 15 degrees Celsius, which prevents rancidity or clouding.
In this way, the oil is ready for bottling in the chosen containers and formats and prepared for distribution and sale to the public.
Olive Oil, Derivatives, and By-products
All the processes described so far refer exclusively to the production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so named for its high organoleptic qualities and for being the only vegetable oil that can be consumed raw, as it is extracted directly from the olives without undergoing any refining or further treatment.
Due to poor fruit harvesting or excessive ripening, the resulting oil may have high acidity, making it necessary to refine it for direct consumption, giving rise to lower-quality semi-processed products compared to Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Additionally, there are by-products from the oil production process, such as pomace (solid) and vegetation water (liquid).
Pomace consists of the remaining skins and pits of the olives, which are sent to pomace factories where solvents are used to extract any remaining oil, producing olive pomace oil. Recent studies show these residues can also be used as organic fertilizers.
Finally, vegetation water is the liquid residue from oil production, collected in impermeable settling ponds, and the small amount of remaining oil is used to produce soaps.
We hope this information is useful in distinguishing between the different types of olive oil and recommend carefully reading the labels on packaging to avoid confusion.
Of course, in our store www.aceitedejaen.com (now origenoliva.com), you can purchase top-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oils from the best mills in the province of Jaén.
