Extraction olive oil

To be exact, “first cold squeezing” and/or cold extraction refers to the production of vegetable oil through a mechanical process. The temperature at which the extraction takes place is less than 27 degrees Celsius for extra virgin olive oil. We often talk about “cold first squeezing” suggesting that there is a second phase of squeezing. This wording refers to a past technique, no longer used, which consisted of crushing the olives twice with hydraulic presses because, with a single squeezing it was not possible to obtain all the extract.

Cold squeezing allows you to maintain the nutritional and physical characteristics of extra virgin olive oil, preserving the properties and enhancing the benefits derived from its consumption. The first cold squeezing refers to the temperature of the fractious olive paste, which must not exceed 27 degrees in the grinding phase (mixing). Crushing involves the use of mechanical breakers and decanters through a method that could be called “continuous” because it doesn’t have pauses. In this case, it is more correct to talk about “cold extraction”, and it is the most used method because it allows to improve the hygiene standards of the products and to meet optimally the needs of consumers and the market. The first cold squeezing allows you to extract the content present in the fruits while preserving the amount of minerals, vitamins and substances rich in antioxidant properties for the body. The main steps are washing, grinding, pressing, centrifuging and filtering, always using mechanical methods. So, what makes the first cold squeezing or cold extraction such an important method? The answer is that it is a choice that preserves the essence of a fruit and allows to produce a quality product through production phases that aim to enhance the benefits of extra virgin olive oil.