Layout of olive oil extraction line including the US reactor before the malaxer (unit operations and other equipment are indicated with letters: A, cleaning section; B, crusher; C, cavity pump; D, US reactor; E, malaxer section; F, horizontal centrifuge; and G, vertical centrifuges)
Can physical technologies improve olive oil extraction process efficiency?
The olive oil industry has been operating for centuries, but in the last decades, significant attention has gone to the development of physical technologies that enhance the traditional extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) extraction process efficiency. Studies have validated such technologies at industrial scale in medium-sized olive oil factories.
How can technology improve olive oil production?
Companies in recent decades started evaluating and/or implementing physical technologies such as heat exchangers, microwaves, ultrasound, and pulsed electric fields into their processing lines to drive higher oil recovery, reduce processing times, and increase phenolic compounds in olive oil.
Is olive oil extraction efficient at industrial level?
However, few are being considered at the industrial level for olive oil applications probably due to the high investment and operational costs. There have been a number of technological developments to address the efficiency of the olive oil extraction process at industrial scales with paste flows beyond 1 T h ?1.