THE OIL MILL

When the olives have reached the right level of maturity, the harvest begins. The year-long wait is over. As soon as the olives have been stripped from the trees, they are ready to be milled; they are full, plump and glossy and they release sensations of freshness mixed with the heady smells of the countryside. After a careful selection of the fruit, the delicate processing phase begins. This phase of transforming the olives into extra virgin oil is very important; the technique used for the extraction is fundamental in that, many of the final characteristics of the product are determined by the choices made by the people involved in this exacting process. The use of cutting edge technology together with human expertise allows us to achieve optimum results by maintaining the nutraceutical and organoleptic properties of an extra virgin olive oil while at the same time, maximizing the quality of its ingredients. .

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

The values listed on the nutritional scale are correlated to 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil that has a weight of 92 grams and which consists of 100% fats. Of the 92 grams of oil, only 14 grams are saturated fats, the so-called “bad fats”. The remainder of fats are unsaturated, therefore, the “good fats”. The major percentage of these unsaturated fats, (approx.2/3), are monosaturated fats. Extra virgin olive oil does not contain carbohydrates, sugars, protein or salt. It does contain a high level of Vitamin E, (alfa – tocopherol), and often more than 17mg which is equivalent to 142% of daily requirements.

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES

Bitter: indicates a taste sensation characterised by extra virgin oil that has been obtained from green, or barely mature olives.

Fruity: indicates the aromatic intensity of an extra virgin oil, at both an olfactory and gustative level. It may be light, medium or intense, depending on the intensity at which the aroma is perceived. It is the olive that determines the category of fruitiness, or more precisely, the variety, (cultivar). But other factors are also decisive: the climate and the soil in which the trees have grown; the time taken for the harvesting and transport to the olive mill; the method used for extracting the oil and its storage.

Spicy: indicates a tactile pungent sensation characterised by an extra virgin oil produced at the beginning of the harvest season, in particular it applies to green olives.

NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES

Sour / Winy-Vinegary / Acidic: these adjectives describe an olive oil that produces an olfactory/gustatory sensation that brings to mind wine or vinegar. It is the result of a defective fermentation process that causes the creation of acetic acid, ethyl acetate and ethanol.

Coarse: describes the dense and doughy oral-tactile sensation produced by some oils.

Metallic: describes an olive oil that produces an olfactory/gustatory sensation that resembles metal. It is a defect found in oil that has been kept in contact with metal surfaces for too long during the processes of pressing, kneading, extraction and storage.

Musty: describes an olfactory /gustatory sensation that is characterised by oil obtained from olives that have been stored for many days in humid conditions and have therefore acquired an abundance of fungus and yeast.

Muddy: describes an olfactory/gustatory sensation characterised by an olive oil that has come into contact with the settling sludge in underground tanks and vats.

Fusty: describes the olfactory/gustatory characteristic of an oil obtained from olives piled or stored in conditions that have caused an advanced stage of anaerobic fermentation.

Rancid: describes an olfactory/gustatory sensation characterised by olive oils that have been exposed to an oxidative process.