Olive oil quality improvement using a natural sedimentation plant at industrial scale

Olive oil extraction is mainly carried out using continuous extraction by decanter centrifuge with efficiency of approximately 80–90%. After centrifugal extraction, olive oil is generally cleaned using a vertical disc stack centrifuge separator, which is suspected of being the major cause of decreased final olive oil quality. Experiments were carried out at industrial scale to compare the olive oil properties after improved processes of sedimentation (Sedoil) or centrifugation (Cenoil) with respect to raw olive oil obtained at the decanter exit (Control). Peroxide, polyphenol, chlorophyll, carotenoid, turbidity and K232 average values were significantly different between Sedoil and Cenoil, which confirmed that the use of disc stack centrifuges represents an important source of oxidative reactions. Analysis showed that storage time dramatically affects the oxidation level of the olive oil. All parameters used to monitor the oxidation level (i.e., free acidity, peroxide value and K232) increased after 180 d of storage, and the content of natural antioxidants and pigments decreased as expected. The residual presence of water during long-term storage represented the most important source of oxidation, and an effective cleaning operation is necessary to preserve oil quality during its storage life. The analyses performed using 1H and 13C NMR showed that Sedoil was more similar in composition to Control than to Cenoil. The use of sedimentation plant allows the employment of the disk stack centrifuge to be reduced improving both energy saving and the quality of clean olive oil.