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Olive tree (Olea europea) is a
fragile tree. Although it grows slowly and in difficulty, it has a very long
life. Thus it is called as "immortal tree" in mythology and botany. Thanks to
its roots extending to deep areas, olive tree is suitable for cultivation in
calcereous, rocky and arid soils; the most fertile environment for olive oil is
the climates hot in summers and mild in winters. Olive tree likes ligth, sun and
temperatures above 15 degree. Annually, approximately 220 mm rainfall is enough
for olive tree to grow efficienlty. Olive tree generally grows in the
geographies with low altitude. Looking like bush, color of olive tree leaves is
dark on the top and light silver at the bottom. Leaves come out in both sides of
the branch in a perfect order. The stem having approximately 40 - 50 cm width is
very enduring to the deterioration. When the tree gets old, new bits blossom out
of the burls refresh the stem. Olive tree with an average 4 - 10 m height yields
abundant in one year and yields less in the other year. It blossoms between
April and June in north hemisphere. Green olives grow ripe during the period
between August and the end of November. |
Picking type hasn't been changed in olive harvest for thousands of years, picking by
hand or shaking has been used for centruies. Another method is to pick the
olives fall on the ground. Harvest is between November and March. But the
general method is shaking. In hand picking method, running off or raking is
used; in picking from ground method roller or brush is used. Today, also
machines (shaking or picking the fruits on the ground by equipment) are used in
olive harvest. Among these methods picking by hand requires the most labor. This
method in which 9 - 10 kg olive is picked per hour at most ensures the best
quality olive oil production if the fruit is good.
Method of extracting oil from olive is another tradition in olive oil culture which
hasn' t changed for thousands of years. The reason is that olive oil is produced
by cold pressing the olives and it can be eaten without any need for chemical
process. There is n difference between olive oil producing methods of today and
past. Olives are squashed and a paste is obtained. Then this paste is compressed
and pressed. Finally, the oil is distilled from the juice of olive fruit (black
juice). In the beginning of 19th century. Hydraulic press machines were started
to be used with advancing technology. Today, in addition to the hydraulic press
machines, machines obtaining oil by centrifugal force without pressing the olive
paste are used as well. The most widely known is the "continious system" among
these.
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Continuous system is called full automatic system. First, olives are
separated according to their types. They are emptied in a hole called hopper,
leaves are cleaned by the machine system, olives are crushed and squashed in the
crusher (machine crushes the kernel into pieces in three thousand rotation
speed). The paste obtained here is watered after being mixed kneaded; its
residues and must are distilled. Oil and black juice are distilled from the must
and oil is put in filter tank, the last residues are cleaned and left in resting
tank. Natural oil is filled jugs, tins and bottles. Bagasse left from the oil is
grinded again and used for soap making. Dregs of bagasse is called pellet and
used as fuel. |
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In order to obtain quality olive oil: Olives need to be processed as
soon as possible after harvested. If olive is kept waiting it gets fermented and
this leads a decrease in the quality of olive oil. However, in the periods when
olive is "ample" the necessity to keep it may arise. In the case, the olives
which are kept unprocessed are kept in bulks of 20 - 30 cm height, well
ventilated and cool stores. For the natural olive oil to be in quality, it is
subjected to this processes: Olive is picked in time and cleaned thoroughly in
oil mill without being kept waiting much, it is let rest in the best containers
and preserved in cool and dark. There are experts assessing color, odor and
taste of olive oil. Experts decide organoleptic of oil according to this
parameters: fresh, hot, bitter, fruity, sweet, somewhat astringent or moldy,
moist, vinegary, sour, slushy, metalic, burnt, black juice, salty, spongy,
grubby, cucumber.
TSE (TS-341) - Turkish Standards Institute - detemanies the
quality in Turkiye. It conducts the assessment in accordance with Ministry of
Agriculture, Turkish Food Codex.
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