Environmental Geology in Spain - The liquid gold of Spain

Newsfeed of the day

by Andrea Mazón and Maya Schmitt

Olive oil - The liquid gold of Spain

Spain is known for its olive oil, or liquid gold. Most olive plantations are located in southern Spain because of the Mediterranean climate perfect for growing olive trees. In Almería, we had the chance to visit a fabric of olive oil, where we found out about the extraction.

 

The metallic cylinder where the olive oil is stored. The olive oil is measured in kg instead of l, due to the constant density of the liquid and change in volume by heating or cooling.

To begin, olives are shaken off the trees. At the factory, they are freed from leaves and twigs. Then, the olives enter a pressing machine, which functions at atmospheric conditions, to get the first olive oil out of the olives. This oil is preserved in metallic cylinders (see photo below), where air is extracted by adding an inert gas. The air is extracted to prevent the oxidation process in the container, extending the olive oil’s life.

Next, the kern and flesh of the olive are separated into different containers. The kern is reduced to small pieces and used for heating in winter. The flesh is cleaned and brought to another factory for further oil extraction. In order to do this, the olive flesh is heated up and pressed again, obtaining a lower quality olive oil. The leftover flesh is reused as fertilizer for the olive trees at the plantation.

We were amazed to find out that only 16% of an olive is used for oil. Moreover, we learned that even though the production is largely automated, the final filling and bottling necessitates the presence of two workers. Our guide presented a sense of pride for the production of his high-quality oil and showed its production to be of cultural significance to Spain.

 

Manufacturing chain.

We took away that good olive oil is extracted at atmospheric conditions and conserves the natural properties. Next time we look for first-class oil we will keep an eye out for cold press on the label.