Description
How is extra virgin olive oil made?
Extra virgin olive oil is a 100% natural juice that preserves the olive’s aroma, flavour, vitamins and natural properties. It is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed exactly as it is obtained. It comes directly from olives through a process that is more complex than simply pressing fruit.
When the olives reach the mill, they are first cleaned to remove leaves and small branches. Once clean, they are milled. Throughout the process, the olives and oil remain in contact only with inert materials such as stainless steel.
Milling. The olives are crushed to break the cells that contain the oil, producing an olive paste made up of pieces of stone and skin, oil and vegetation water.
Malaxation. The paste is slowly mixed so that the tiny droplets of oil join into larger drops. The mixing time should not exceed about 90 minutes and the paste should remain below roughly 27–28°C.
Centrifugation. A decanter spins the paste at high speed and separates its components by density: pomace forms the outer layer, vegetation water the middle layer and oil the inner layer.
Filtration. Depending on the mill, vertical centrifuges, settling systems or stainless-steel mesh filters remove remaining moisture and impurities. Once clean, the oil is ready for storage and bottling.
