AEB Group technologies and enzymes to optimise the extra virgin olive oil extraction process

EVO OIL EXTRACTION

DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF ENZYMES

Striking a balance between quantity and quality is the real challenge of Research in the field of extraction technologies for extra virgin olive oil.

Even though in recent years, attention has gradually shifted to quality, obtaining high extraction yields remains a priority for millers and olive growers in order to optimise farm economics.

Extraction: problems and key factors

Only a high extraction yield can pay back a year of hard work the costs incurred looking after the olive trees, but it is not easy to work this way. In fact, it is well-known that in the olive oil production process, in order to improve extraction yields, you often need to extend malaxing times or, alternatively, increase process temperatures. However, this compromise may, in turn, decrease the polyphenol content and reduce the organoleptic qualities and health benefits of the end product.

This is also due to the fact that current malaxing machines, in terms of their system, are inefficient heat exchangers.

But if it is true that the yield is the result of the oil extraction process, one should not forget that the factors on which one can act to increase it, without affecting the quality of the product, can be of two types: agronomic, which act indirectly on the olive tree, and technological, related to specific methodologies that can be put in place inside the mill during olive processing.

AGRONOMIC FACTORS

Ripening control

Monitoring of veraison

Importance of harvesting

TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

Increase in crushing time

Use of enzymes

The main advantages of using enzymes in olive processing

The use of innovative biotechnologies such as the adoption of selected exogenous pectolytic enzymes allows the producer to gain many advantages during traditional olive processing, including reducing production costs and the environmental impact of the process. The resulting benefits are:

Improved oil quality: the enzymes are able to modulate the chemical reaction that breaks down the triglycerides in the olives. This results in a better preservation of the aromas and volatile compounds that contribute to the typicality of olive oil. This results in a higher quality end product with a more intense and authentic taste and aroma.

Higher oil yield: the ability to accelerate the breakdown of pectic components allows more oil to be extracted from the olives, minimising waste and maximising production yield. This is particularly advantageous in an industry where even a small percentage change in the amount of oil obtained can greatly affect the profitability of the entire process.

COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO MALAXING MACHINES: WITH AND WITHOUT ENZYME

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Increasing oil yield and quality: AEB's commitment

Numerous tests carried out at various oil mills by AEB's team of experts in collaboration with prestigious universities have shown that the use of exogenous enzymes in the kneading phase can give excellent results in terms of increasing yields in the extraction phase.

Harvesting the olives at the peak of their lipogenesis and using selected enzymes that act only on the pectic component allows the producer to obtain not only a greater quantity of oil for the same weight of the harvested olives, but above all a much more fragrant oil with stronger and more intense aromatic notes.

Field trials have clearly shown that, thanks to the use of exogenous enzymes, the efficiency of kneading and centrifugation of the entire process increases considerably. In particular, a significant difference emerged between kneading carried out in the absence or presence of exogenous pectolytic enzymes: already a few minutes after the addition of the enzyme, in fact, the oil begins to surface on the kneading paste, a phenomenon that - without the use of enzymes - only occurs more than halfway through the kneading process.

WHAT COULD BE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS?

GREATER QUANTITY EXTRACTED

SMOOTHER WORKFLOW BY THE MALAXING MACHINE

LESS HANDLING OF THE PASTE

GREATER ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITH A SUBSEQUENT REDUCTION IN CONSUMPTION

POSSIBILITY OF PROCESSING UNRIPE OLIVES WITH A HIGHER CONTENT OF SUBSTANCES CHARACTERISING THE FLAVOUR AND AROMA OF THE OIL

Operational malaxing system

Malaxing machine with olive paste

Detailed view of the malaxing machine with olive paste at an advanced stage

The extra virgin oil rising surface during processing

Oil flowing out of the separation centrifuge

Harvesting the finished product

Graph of the increased extraction yield using exogenous enzymes

Enzymes for oil: a sustainable choice

Enzymes provide numerous advantages in terms of energy consumption and impact on the environment. Let us look at them together:

Reduced water and energy consumption: less water is used because the extraction efficiency is higher than with traditional mechanical methods. At the same time, there is a decrease in the time required for extraction with a consequent reduction in energy expenditure.

Faster extraction process: Reducing the extraction time means reducing production costs but also optimising the 'go to market' timing.

Reduced process waste: the specificity of enzymes and their action on certain substrates, with more targeted chemical reactions, results in fewer unwanted by-products. This results in less process waste and therefore in a lower impact on the environment.

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