Types of Oil

A good olive oil is obtained from healthy and whole olives, conditions that must fulfill the fruits to the entrance in the oil mill. The milling will become without delay, because the fermentativos processes begin soon and deteriorate the quality. It follows the milkshake of the masses. Next, in the case of using the call traditional system, the paste is distributed in capachos and it is put under pressure in the hydraulic presses. When modern systems are used (centrifugalization of two or three phases), the paste is centrifuged in decánter of horizontal axis. The later movement or centrifugalization of the oleosa phase leaves the oil clean, arranged to the storage. Immediately before the packaging it will be come to the filtrate. The oil thus obtained is virgin olive oil, because in their extraction mechanical systems have only been used.

The olive oil is the one that comes solely from the olive, fruit of the olive tree, without this denomination to oils extracted with dissolvents can be applied, by reesterificación, or with oil mixtures of another nature. Among others, the following types of olive oil are distinguished:

The international norms adopted by the European Union define the characteristics and properties of different olive oil.

Virgin oils

It is obtained solely by mechanical procedures or other average physicists, in conditions of temperature that do not produce alterations in the oil, that has not had more treatment than the washing, the movement, the centrifugalization and the filtrate. It is the oleoso juice of a fruit; the olive. The denomination must go followed of the qualifying extra, virgin or comments, according to the organolépticas characteristics and the acidity. They can be described as natural product and the virgin olive oil can be object of denomination of origin when it responds to singular characteristics related to a determined region. Within Virgin Oils, the denominated ones are considered apt for the human consumption:

  • Extra Virgin olive oil. Their organolépticas characteristics are absolutely irreprochables, with organoléptica score (scent and flavor) that is to be equal or superior to 6,5. The expressed free oleic acid acidity must be inferior to 1º.
  • Virgin olive oil. It is also denominated “fine”. Juice of olive, with organoléptica score equal or superior to 5,5. Its graduation does not have of being superior to 1º.
  • Current Virgin olive oil. Juice of olive of good taste with 3.5 organoléptica score equal or superior to and inferior acidity to 3,3º.
  • Virgin olive oil Lampante. Virgin oil of defective scent and flavor. He is not apt for the direct consumption. It needs refinement. Their flavor or scent are defective, obtaining a organoléptica score superior to 3.5 and/or one acidity superior to 3,3º.

Refinement:

It is the treatment used physical-chemistry to badly eliminate the scent, color and flavor of oils. Obtained of the virgin olive oil refinement that presents/displays high acidity or defects in their organolépticas conditions, and that in the refinement process are eliminated Is necessary to make this treatment to all oils of seeds, to the oil of orujo and virgin oil of bad quality (lampante). The main refined oils are:

  • Refined olive oil. Obtained from virgin, generally lampante olive oil, by means of techniques of refined. The free acidity will not surpass 0,5º and their other characteristics are in agreement to the established ones for that category.
  • Olive oil. Olive oil mixture refined with virgin olive oil. Its acidity will not surpass 1,5º, according to the percentage of the mixture.

Other oils:

  • Refined oil of Orujo. Oil extracted of orujo of the olive (rest solid) and refined later.
  • Oil of Orujo de Oliva. Oil mixture refined of orujo with virgin olive oil.
  • Oil refined of… sunflower, soybean, peanut, germ of maize, colza, cártamo and nugget of grape.
  • Refined oil of seeds. Two more oil or mixture of seeds (without including to the one of soybean).

The characteristics that outline the sensorial characteristics of virgin oils - fragrance, dulzor, regusto almendrado, flavor to apples, afrutamiento, freshness, etc. reveal the complexity of sensations that wake up in the sense of smell and the passage of mouth.

The family of the olive trees, the type of ground in which they grow, the terrain featureses in which they are based, the circumstances in which have matured the olives, the care with which it has been made his harvesting and milling, including the climatology of each campaign, influence in the level of always alternating gustativos parameters.

In general, the gustativos characteristics of an oil and their scale of chromatic transparencies do not bear relation to their level from contained oleic peroxide acid, K-270, etc. data that only define a set of analytical but nonsensorial variables. When concluding the extractive processes in the oil mills or mills, only the virgin oils (pure juice of olives without mixing nor refining) that have an inferior oleic acid content to 1,5° (fine) are destined to the immediate consumption; within these, those that do not exceed 1° (“extra”) consider most select: the “black label” of the virgins. Those that presents/displays a graduation between 1,5° and 3° (“current” or “semifine”), and even those that surpasses this percentage (“lampantes”), are refined by physical procedures with object of which they are apt for his later commercialization.