But what do we mean by olive oil campaign?
It is the time of year that includes the harvesting and pressing of olives, the selection of the best oils and the subsequent packaging of extra virgin olive oil.
The process can differ depending on the harvesting techniques used as well as the oil production techniques.
The timing is variable because the alternation between abundance and scarcity must be maintained. This year's 2022 olive oil campaign began in October and ended in mid-December. In other years, when there is abundance, it can last until the end of February!
The olive harvest season varies depending on the olive grove management, partly due to soil and climate conditions and voluntary irrigation. In addition, the attack of the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) must be considered.
How to treat olive trees against olive fly attacks
In fact, the olive fly represents one of the main problems for oil production , especially in areas where olive cultivation is intensive because it can cause damage to the quality and quantity of production:
- it is a small insect (about 3-4 mm)
- lays its eggs inside the olives, where the larvae develop and feed on the contents of the drupes
How can olive fruit fly attack be prevented?
There are several methods that can be used:
- the use of traps to capture adult insects
- the use of insecticides
- the adoption of integrated crop management techniques, such as the use of good agronomic practices to reduce the attractiveness of olive trees to the olive fruit fly: pruning, irrigation, soil cleaning, and timely olive harvesting.
In some cases, olive growers choose to use organic production or farming methods, which involve the use of natural products to combat olive fly attacks and promote an ecological balance in the olive grove.
The olive harvest during the olive oil campaign
Generally speaking, we can say that the olive harvest takes place from mid-autumn to early winter, when the olives are ripe and ready to be picked.
Furthermore, the duration of an olive oil campaign depends on the quantity of olives harvested and the mill's oil processing capacity.
Depending on the geographical area where the olive trees are located, production can begin in November and end as late as March or April.
How do you know when olives are ready to be harvested? It depends on several factors:
- veraison: the progressive ripening of the fruit and the consequent change in colour (varies depending on the climate and the variety of olives), depends on exposure to the sun and the type of pruning
- resistance of the olive to the peduncle
- ratio between the olives present on the tree and those fallen (bunch olives)
- consistency of the pulp which becomes less consistent in proportion to the veraison
How the olive oil campaign takes place
The olive oil campaign is a moment of conviviality and sharing that takes place in several stages.
What is needed to produce extra virgin olive oil?
- trained and aware farmers
- the person responsible for purchasing olives with correct and precise knowledge
- a quality office
- trained workers assigned to the various production and packaging phases
Let's look together at the stages of the olive oil campaign , which in the case of Frantoio D'Orazio is verified and followed from start to finish by Francesco D'Orazio:
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It starts with the olive harvest, which is done mechanically. The number of people employed varies from year to year. This year, Frantoio D'Orazio employed five people.
To speed up the olive harvest, mechanical shakers can be used. - The harvest reaches the mill where an expert, in our case Francesco D'Orazio , verifies the quality, or rather the integrity, of the olives. This is a crucial step, made possible thanks to years of experience and technical knowledge acquired in the field. Frantoio D'Orazio has compiled a manual that serves as a guide to verifying the specific characteristics of the cultivars of interest.
- Olives are identified by: name of the farmer, weight and variety of olives
- Storage takes place in no more than 24/48 hours: this is a very important parameter for obtaining a good oil. Time is, in fact, a fundamental factor .
- the hopper is loaded by a worker
- defoliation : leaves, twigs and foreign bodies are eliminated
- Olive washing : necessary to remove any remaining leaves and soil that may affect the final flavor of the oil and damage the machinery. Olive washing takes place on conveyor belts that allow the olives to be washed without coming into contact with metal parts.
- mechanical crushing : here the vacuoles are broken and a mixture of oil and water present in the olive is obtained
- preparatory kneading : the temporary resting of the olive paste obtained
- It is time to use the protoreactor : through the pressure, the temperature of the olive paste and the mechanical activity of the screws present in the last phase of the protoreactor, coalescence occurs .
Coalescence is a chemical-physical phenomenon in which the oil droplets aggregate together (separation from the oil-water mixture obtained during pressing) and we are then ready for the actual extraction phase.
Other factors that determine coalescence in the proreactor are: pressure, temperature and the flow rate of the olive paste. In the final phase of projection, the mechanical part of the screws also contributes to coalescence.
The oil extraction phase
The paste obtained from this series of processes is left to rest in the so-called parking gramole , from which it is conveyed into the decanter thanks to a piston pump.
Here the separation between must oil and pomace oil takes place by difference in specific weights.
The oil thus obtained is called must oil and passes first through a vibrating sieve and then into a vertical separator which further separates the must oil from the residual vegetation water: this is how we obtain oil !
But it doesn't end there: the resulting oil is filtered again with cardboard filters and stored in tanks awaiting classification and packaging.
At Frantoio D'Orazio, this cycle is monitored by two specialized workers who ensure process parameters are checked and product traceability forms are completed.
Cleaning the machines is essential: organic residues could promote fermentation processes that would damage the oil as it passes through.
How to produce quality extra virgin olive oil
Let's start by saying that to produce one litre of oil, approximately 10 kg of olives are needed and that one tree, approximately, produces 25-30 kg of olives.
From 300 trees we will obtain approximately 7,500 kg of olives, therefore for 100 kg of olives we will be able to produce approximately 12 kg of oil, but cultivar and soil and climate factors must be taken into consideration.
All these aspects influence the cost of the final product.
In general, to increase olive yield, olive growers can use some strategies:
- Pruning : as we've seen, it's also used to prevent olive fly infestation, but it can also help increase olive yields. Pruning trees can, in fact, promote greater sun exposure and better ventilation, as well as the production of new branches.
- Irrigation : essential, especially with increasing drought and in already arid areas. Irrigation promotes tree root growth and improves the absorption of water and necessary nutrients;
- Fertilization : Many use it to increase olive yields and promote healthy growth. Either organic compost or chemical fertilizers can be used, depending on the grower's preference.
Advanced production techniques: The use of advanced production techniques, such as hydroponic cultivation , hybrid trees, the selection of high-yielding olive cultivars, and mechanical harvesting, can increase olive yields. However, these techniques can require significant investment and careful tree management.
Good, high-quality oil is recognized through panel tests, chemical, physical, and sensory analyses that evaluate its flavor characteristics.
