Cold pressing, what is it?
Cold pressing, let's find out more
As we know cold pressing, can be a method of processing olives. As the word itself says this stage is used to extract the juice from the fruit, namely the olive. There are two methods of milling, to arrive at this ‘juice’: cold pressing and traditional pressing. Let’s get to know them both.
The traditional system
The traditional system consists of 5 stages. Let’s analyze them:
1. Leaf removal and olive washing
2. Milling. This stage first took place by means of stone wheels that crushed the olives and mixed them. Today there are no longer wheels, but steel machines that do the same job.
3. Gramoling. Other than the slow stirring of the resulting paste, to ‘break’ the alloy of oil and water, bringing out the oil.
4. Extraction of the oily must. This stage was previously done with fiber discs; in modern mills, however, the must is also extracted with ad hoc machinery, so-called decanter.
5. The must is separated from the water
The traditional system
In this type of processing, so-called because it takes place at a temperature below 27°C,step No. 3 is crucial in determining the taste, quality and quantity of oil. If the oil that comes from traditional pressing is much more yellow and has a neutral flavor, the oil that comes from cold extraction is top of the line: it has a very intense flavor, contains many more polyphenols and more beneficial substances for the body, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.
What does the EC regulations say?
According to the current legislation, EC Regulation No. 182-2009 extra virgin oil is such only if it is cold-pressed. And it is the best oil that can exist on the market, because during the production of it, quality is always preferred over quantity! So watch the label when buying olive oil!
Terrano Oil Mill
Eaten cooked or raw, it should not and cannot be missing from a healthy, balanced diet. The recommended doses are three tablespoons a day, and if you want to enjoy an excellent organic Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, then choose the oil from Oleificio Terrano. Bon appetite and good health!
