Olive oil is produced in our mill following traditional practices with the aid of cutting-edge equipment. This blend of tradition and innovation is something we are very proud of, as we have managed to look to the future while remaining firmly rooted in our roots, just as Puglia's monumental olive trees have done for hundreds of years.
How is olive oil produced , the finest extra virgin olive oil from Puglia? In this in-depth study, we'd like to reveal the production techniques, the processes our master olive oil experts follow year after year, with every harvest, every pressing, with the goal of providing moments of authentic, natural goodness.
The production of olive oil in our mill is divided into 8 different, closely linked phases:
- Harvesting, delivery to the mill and storage
- Defoliation
- Washing
- Crushing
- Working with protoreactor
- Centrifugal extraction
- Temporary storage and decantation
- Packaging
Let's explore each stage one by one, to understand the value of an oil mill that respects nature, technique, tradition, and innovation, always focusing on quality.
Olives from the field to the mill
Our dedication to creating the finest extra virgin olive oil begins with the harvest. In the fields surrounding our mill, south of Bari, hard-working hands get to work between October and November.
Harvesting is done using shakers, which, with the movement of the tree branches, detach the olives. Harvest times vary from cultivar to cultivar and also influence the type of oil produced. For example, a riper olive, identifiable by its black/reddish color, will produce an oil with sweeter notes than the same olive harvested when still green, and therefore not fully ripe. The acidity level, a key characteristic for recognizing authentic extra virgin olive oil, will also be influenced by the presence of more or less ripe olives during the oil extraction process.
We have already discussed here the distinctive qualities of true extra virgin EVO, which is identified by the oil's level of acidity.
As soon as they're harvested, the olives are taken to the mill where they're processed within 24-48 hours. The waiting time between harvesting and processing is another indicator of the quality of olive oil production . The shorter the waiting time, the less organoleptic changes the olives will undergo, and the better the extra virgin olive oil will be produced. That's why we begin the olive oil production process within 48 hours of delivery. It all starts with cleaning the olives of debris of various origins.
Apulian olive oil from Apulian olives - Defoliation and washing
After weighing, the olives must be cleaned to remove any impurities. In particular, the leaves, the most significant part of the "impure" material present in the harvest, must be removed.
The olives are conveyed from the loading hopper (a container with sloping walls) to a defoliator . This machine separates the olives from the leaves by shaking the product. A vacuum cleaner completes the process, removing any impure material and excluding it from the processing.
By eliminating the leafy part of the olive oil production, we can avoid the finished product having a sour/astringent character, with a bitter leafy taste.
After defoliation, the olives are washed. A hopper and conveyor belt transfer the olives to the washing machine for a gentle wash with room-temperature water to remove soil, debris, and foreign bodies.
Finally cleaned, the olives are ready for the next phase: pressing.
Crushing, when olives become oil
Once the drupes, the technical term for olives, are "cleaned," they continue their journey via a conveyor belt to the crusher.
Here begins the most delicate phase, the "miracle," when the olives begin to transform into oil. Once, pressing was done with stone mills; today, equipment is used that preserves the quality and distinctive aroma of the finest olive oil, ensuring short processing times and thus a less stressed product. Shorter processing times therefore also mean higher quality. We'll explain how and why.
The purpose of pressing is to break the oil-bearing cells and vacuolar membranes to release the minute droplets of oil they contain. The pressing process then produces a coarse paste composed of chopped pulp and stone fragments, which facilitate the release of cellular juices from the pulp.
Processing takes place in a continuous, cold cycle, as required for the production of extra virgin olive oil . At Frantoio D'Orazio, we have a machine with a proreactor. This equipment allows us to crush and mix the mixture quickly and efficiently. Thanks to the proreactor machine, we do not have to perform the malaxation (also known as milling) process using commonly used techniques.
Olive oil production with a proreactor system
The process of producing the best olive oil with a proreactor system takes place in our mill according to a precise order:
Preparatory relaunch of the 500 LTS
The pressed olive paste is discharged into the preparatory kneader where it is lightly mixed. When the preparatory kneader is full, as measured by a level probe, the paste is sent, via the piston pump, into the proreactor.
Protoreactor LP (5+3)
The proreactor is used to extract extra virgin olive oil and, in 70 seconds, mechanically promotes the tearing of olive pulp fragments and coalescence (aggregation of small droplets of olive oil). This rapidly separates the olive oil particles present in the paste, with low oxidative stress.
Parking lot
The paste from the protoreactor passes into one of the two parking spaces consisting of a cavity, in which hot water always circulates with the aim of maintaining the paste at an exit temperature equal to or lower than 27°C, these spaces therefore act as a "parking space".
Extraction of olive oil with protoreactor
We are in the centrifugal extraction phase (DMF oil extraction system). Here, the oily paste emerging from the malaxer is centrifuged in the decanter. The decanter, through centrifugal force, separates the different phases based on their density: the pomace collects toward the outside of the centrifuge and is removed by an underground screw; the oil remains near the rotation axis, and the pomace is separated into two phases.
The must oil is then clarified. This is the final clarification process. This is the phase in which the oil is separated from the water using a centrifuge. This process occurs quickly and efficiently using centrifugal separators preceded by a vibrating screen.
Once the oil is obtained, we store it to decant.
Apulian olive oil rests, decants, becomes the best extra virgin
The oil is stored in temporary tanks to decant. Natural decantation takes place over 15 days, after which we filter it. Finally, the mature oil is ready for bottling in our elegant and creative packaging. Nothing is left to chance.
This is how olive oil is produced. This is how the finest extra virgin olive oil is born, ready to satisfy the most discerning palates, those seeking flavor and authenticity.
Discover the entire world of Frantoio D'Orazio here .
