Technology
Extra virgin olive oil is a product that undergoes a natural aging process known as oxidation. The rate at which oxidation occurs depends on the oil’s initial quality and how it is stored. A system designed to bring high-quality oil to market can be illustrated as follows: produce oil of the highest quality and then protect it from pro-oxidizing factors that can accelerate the aging process—such as light, heat, excessive cold, and contact with air.
The only truly effective tool for achieving this goal is the application of the concept of the FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN to olive oil, which refers to a product’s entire journey “from farm to table.” It encompasses all the stages, processes, and stakeholders involved in the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of a food product. The “PANEOLIO HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLY CHAIN,” promoted and implemented by PANEOLIO, is divided into four subsystems: raw material procurement (olives); processing technologies; oil storage and production; and distribution and consumption.
The raw materials procurement subsystem aims to ensure that healthy, undamaged olives reach the mill—an essential condition for producing high-quality oil. As for the second subsystem—processing technologies, which obviously play a crucial role—targeted and precise decisions have been made.
In 2021, PaneOlio Società Cooperativa Agricola decided to invest in the modernization of the facilities and extraction lines at the “Il Progresso” mill, restoring the facility to its status as a benchmark in the local area and beyond, with the goal of guaranteeing a high-quality, highly authentic product.
The Technical Specifications for the PANEOLIO HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLY CHAIN, which—together with the Supply Chain Identifier—define the objectives, tools, procedures, and parties involved, effectively describe the technological choices made.
“The mill is equipped with the latest technological innovations used in the olive oil extraction sector and offers a complete service from the receipt of the olives to the bottling of the oil. Receipt, destemming, and washing are the first steps in obtaining a high-quality, defect-free oil; processing times within 24 hours of the start of the olive harvest and effective cleaning ensure that processing begins with the product in optimal condition. In the subsequent extraction stages, the quality of the extra virgin olive oil is determined, and the goal is to fully bring out the aromas and nutritional values contained within the fruit. The first stage of the process consists of crushing the olive. Crushing is performed using a dual-action crusher with low thermal impact, which combines cutting and grinding through the combined action of a disc and a grid. This allows for a differentiated crushing of the fruit that respects the biochemical processes, thereby unlocking the full genetic potential of the olives and ensuring maximum phenolic extraction and aromatic production in the subsequent stages.
Once the olive paste has been crushed, it is cooled using a counter-current tubular heat exchanger, specifically designed and patented for use with viscous pastes. The heat exchanger is capable of drastically lowering the paste’s temperature. This is made possible by the large heat transfer surface area within the exchanger; the paste is stratified and channeled into a narrow gap within the exchanger, while at the same time, chilled water flows in countercurrent through the outer and inner tubes. This process enables effective and rapid cooling that takes just a few seconds. This step is necessary and essential for obtaining oil with the best aromatic profile, especially given the earlier harvest dates and increasingly higher temperatures in the fall months; in fact, it allows for immediate temperature control of the paste after pressing, enabling cold extraction at temperatures between 18°C and 25°C. This temperature range is also essential for optimally managing enzymatic activity, thereby imparting the best organoleptic characteristics to the oil and preventing oxidation. This is followed by kneading, carried out using the most innovative technology available on the olive oil processing equipment market: the Olive Oil Booster.
Alfa Laval’s Olive Oil Booster system is a combination of various technologies that work together to improve the quality and yield of high-quality oils during the extraction process. It replaces traditional kneading technology with horizontal mixing tanks that operate under vacuum.
Thanks to the vacuum process, the Olive Oil Booster allows for the extraction of a significantly greater quantity of olive oil, along with a higher amount of antioxidant phenolic compounds, while preserving the beneficial aromatic compounds. The complete absence of oxygen in the Olive Oil Booster protects the olive paste and the resulting oil from oxidation, thereby extending their shelf life.
The olive paste produced by the Olive Oil Booster is fed into the X-series decanter centrifuge, where the oil is separated from the water and solids in a three-phase extraction process. This latest-generation decanter reduces the amount of additional water required, minimizing water consumption. This allows for the production of high-quality oil while preventing the loss of nutritional components—especially antioxidants—in the millrun, and also enables the production of sustainable oil that is environmentally friendly.
Finally, the oil-rich pomace is separated in a vertical centrifuge to remove any residual vegetable water, then filtered in-line and stored at a controlled temperature under a blanket of inert gas (nitrogen) to ensure it is preserved under optimal conditions.” The first two subsystems of the production chain determine the oil’s initial quality. Even in the subsequent stages of oil storage, packaging, and distribution, the PANEOLIO HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLY CHAIN employs technologies fully capable of protecting the oil from all pro-oxidizing factors, extending this protection all the way to consumers through a comprehensive set of information related to the determination of the Minimum Shelf Life—a complete and reliable basis for INFORMED CONSUMPTION.