How is Olive Oil made?

Olive oil

 How is Olive Oil Made? 

• Extracting olive oil from the olives is a process that requires a regional art. 
• Over many centuries this task of deriving tasty liquid gold is done in the Mediterranean region and the techniques of doing so have been passed from generation to generation. 
• The methods used for the extraction of olive oil are different in different countries because each producer has its unique way of doing so. 
• The trees of the Mediterranean region must mature for a number of years before they start bearing this fruit. 
• How many olives a single tree will bear varies from tree to tree, but careful pruning is sure to optimize the number of olives it will bear. 
• There are many varieties of olives that exist but out of those only few kinds are commercially grown. Some olives are very rich in polyphenols whereas some are not but this information about the polyphenol content in the bottle available is rarely known.
•  It depends on how big the olives are and what their oil content is. 
• The large black canned olives are actually quite low in oil - sometimes only 7%, which is why they are table olives and are generally not used to make oil. 
• Some smaller olives used primarily for oil making can have more than 20% to 25% in oil content. 
• Olives are soft fruits which require delicate handling. So you cannot simply shake the olive tree or beat it with sticks expecting the olives to fall on the ground. 
• This will result in bruising of the olives which will degrade the beneficial oils present in it. Some growers still prefer this method of gathering olives and so spread a net beneath the tree to catch the olives. 
• Storing of olives is not advisable at all. 
• They must be processed soon after their harvesting is over. 
• Olives must be transported in shallow containers so that they do not pile up and bruise. 
• Damage to the olives will result in more of oxidation and fermentation resulting in low quality of oil derived from them. 
• Before pressing of the olives, they are washed thoroughly and the leaves, twigs and stems that are adhered to them are removed either manually or with industrial blowers. 
• Nowadays stainless steel rollers are used to crush the olives instead of processors with granite wheels. 
• These rollers crush the olives and grind them into a paste. Paste then undergoes a process called malaxation in which the water is stirred into a paste. 
• The oil molecules are left to clump together and concentrate. Closed mixing chambers are preferred so as to prevent the paste from oxidation. 
• If the paste is exposed to air, free radicals are sure to be produced thereby affecting the quality of the oil.
•  The mixture is then heated to a temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• The paste so formed is further pressed through centrifuge, a compartment that rotates on its axis at a very high velocity.
•  It separates the olive paste remnants from oil and water, keeping the oil and water at the centre of centrifuge which are then later separated through a decanter or by putting it into another centrifuge. The ratio of olives to its oil is approximately five kilos of olives to one litre of olive oil. Oil is then refined and bleached. Refining reduces the acidity and bitter taste.
•  It is also deodorized to remove the fragrant aroma of olive oil. Before this olive is bottled it is kept in a stainless steel container at a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• It is then bottled and shipped and then commercialized. 
• So this was all about how olive oil is extracted.