jeaniegina
05-30-2008, 06:26 PM
Olive Oil
The production of olive oil begins with the harvest. Before olives are harvested, a net is spread around the tree to catch the fruit as it is picked. Olives are literally “raked” from the tree. Many small producers use a “blunt hand rake” to harvest. The modern version has a roller with small blunt tines that is powered by compressed air. This “spinning rake” is quite efficient, but it does require a power source. Another method places mechanical arms around the tree and the olives are shaken off. In any case, the olives must be quickly processed.
Traditionally, this meant washing and sorting and being crushed by stone. The resulting olive paste was spread on straw mats, stacked vertically in a press and squeezed. This released the natural olive juices and oil. The oil would now be left to naturally separate by gravity in a holding tank. After separation, the oil would then be “dipped” or “scooped” leaving the olive juice behind.
In today’s modern world, all of this is done in one continuous line by machine. What once took days is done in a few hours. Whether the oil is hand done or machine done, the next several steps stay constant.
After pressing, olive oil must be evaluated. A large sample of oil is removed from the freshly pressed batch. It is presented to a panel of olive oil experts for organoleptic evaluation. This simply means the panel will be using their very refined senses of smell and taste to rate the quality of the oil.
The panel is individually presented the oil sample in a small translucent bronze of blue glass beaker. The colored glass keeps the panel from being able to evaluate color, as it bears little if any relationship to quality. If the batch of olive oil is determined to be of superior quality or “virgin”, (meaning it needs no further processing) another sample is sent to a laboratory to rate its free fatty acid content, more commonly referred to as the “Oleic” acid content. If the Oleic acid content is under 1%, it is awarded the “Extra Virgin” rating. From this point the oil is filtered and packaged. If the olive oil has an undesirable characteristic in its aroma or taste or the Oleic acid content is higher than 4%, it is sent to an olive oil refinery.
In the refining process, the majority of the flavor, color and aroma (along with whatever undesirable characteristics it possessed) are removed. This leaves essentially neutral oil with the chemical characteristics of olive oil. This product must have (according to International Olive Oil Commission standards) 10-20% extra virgin olive oil added to it for flavor, aroma and color. This product used to be known as “Pure” or “100% Pure” or “Riviera Blend” olive oil. In the past several years the International Olive Oil Commission changed the name to simply “Olive Oil”. This is a name change only.
The olive pomace (the leftover cracked olive seeds and remnants of skin) is recovered and shipped to an olive pomace plant. The olive pomace is treated with hexane (a solvent) to remove the remaining olive oil. This oil is not subjected to an organoleptic test but is sent directly to the olive oil refinery. In the refining process, the flavor, aroma and a good deal of the color are removed with the impurities. This mostly neutral oil also has extra virgin olive oil added for flavor and aroma. (The International Olive Oil Commission decrees it must contain 2-10% extra virgin olive oil.)
Olive Oil Terminology
Extra Virgin:
• Each word has its own definition. The “Extra” part of the term means the olive oil contains less than 1% free fatty acids (primarily Oleic acid).
• The “Virgin” part means the oil was not processed beyond pressing and filtering. Almost all other oils (such as Corn, Canola, Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed and Soy) are not palatable as pressed or extracted. They are all refined in some manner.
Cold First Press:
• This olive oil has been produced without using an extracting agent or heating olive paste. This is largely a marketing term. Modern technology has made the olive oil industry quite efficient. In the vast majority of cases, olives are pressed just once as the presses are capable of getting 93-95% of the oil in a single action.
Pure or 100% Olive Oil:
• Now simply labeled “Olive Oil”, it is a blend of refined and unrefined olive oil. Typically used as an all-purpose kitchen olive oil.
Olive Pomace Oil:
• This oil is produced from olive seeds. It is refined and then blended with extra virgin olive oil. As it is seed oil, it has a much higher smoke point than olive oils produced from the fruit. It is best used for hot preparations.
The production of olive oil begins with the harvest. Before olives are harvested, a net is spread around the tree to catch the fruit as it is picked. Olives are literally “raked” from the tree. Many small producers use a “blunt hand rake” to harvest. The modern version has a roller with small blunt tines that is powered by compressed air. This “spinning rake” is quite efficient, but it does require a power source. Another method places mechanical arms around the tree and the olives are shaken off. In any case, the olives must be quickly processed.
Traditionally, this meant washing and sorting and being crushed by stone. The resulting olive paste was spread on straw mats, stacked vertically in a press and squeezed. This released the natural olive juices and oil. The oil would now be left to naturally separate by gravity in a holding tank. After separation, the oil would then be “dipped” or “scooped” leaving the olive juice behind.
In today’s modern world, all of this is done in one continuous line by machine. What once took days is done in a few hours. Whether the oil is hand done or machine done, the next several steps stay constant.
After pressing, olive oil must be evaluated. A large sample of oil is removed from the freshly pressed batch. It is presented to a panel of olive oil experts for organoleptic evaluation. This simply means the panel will be using their very refined senses of smell and taste to rate the quality of the oil.
The panel is individually presented the oil sample in a small translucent bronze of blue glass beaker. The colored glass keeps the panel from being able to evaluate color, as it bears little if any relationship to quality. If the batch of olive oil is determined to be of superior quality or “virgin”, (meaning it needs no further processing) another sample is sent to a laboratory to rate its free fatty acid content, more commonly referred to as the “Oleic” acid content. If the Oleic acid content is under 1%, it is awarded the “Extra Virgin” rating. From this point the oil is filtered and packaged. If the olive oil has an undesirable characteristic in its aroma or taste or the Oleic acid content is higher than 4%, it is sent to an olive oil refinery.
In the refining process, the majority of the flavor, color and aroma (along with whatever undesirable characteristics it possessed) are removed. This leaves essentially neutral oil with the chemical characteristics of olive oil. This product must have (according to International Olive Oil Commission standards) 10-20% extra virgin olive oil added to it for flavor, aroma and color. This product used to be known as “Pure” or “100% Pure” or “Riviera Blend” olive oil. In the past several years the International Olive Oil Commission changed the name to simply “Olive Oil”. This is a name change only.
The olive pomace (the leftover cracked olive seeds and remnants of skin) is recovered and shipped to an olive pomace plant. The olive pomace is treated with hexane (a solvent) to remove the remaining olive oil. This oil is not subjected to an organoleptic test but is sent directly to the olive oil refinery. In the refining process, the flavor, aroma and a good deal of the color are removed with the impurities. This mostly neutral oil also has extra virgin olive oil added for flavor and aroma. (The International Olive Oil Commission decrees it must contain 2-10% extra virgin olive oil.)
Olive Oil Terminology
Extra Virgin:
• Each word has its own definition. The “Extra” part of the term means the olive oil contains less than 1% free fatty acids (primarily Oleic acid).
• The “Virgin” part means the oil was not processed beyond pressing and filtering. Almost all other oils (such as Corn, Canola, Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed and Soy) are not palatable as pressed or extracted. They are all refined in some manner.
Cold First Press:
• This olive oil has been produced without using an extracting agent or heating olive paste. This is largely a marketing term. Modern technology has made the olive oil industry quite efficient. In the vast majority of cases, olives are pressed just once as the presses are capable of getting 93-95% of the oil in a single action.
Pure or 100% Olive Oil:
• Now simply labeled “Olive Oil”, it is a blend of refined and unrefined olive oil. Typically used as an all-purpose kitchen olive oil.
Olive Pomace Oil:
• This oil is produced from olive seeds. It is refined and then blended with extra virgin olive oil. As it is seed oil, it has a much higher smoke point than olive oils produced from the fruit. It is best used for hot preparations.