Olive fruit processing method entailing stone removal and dehydration to obtain olive oils and flours with enhanced content of bioactive substances: Quantitative characterization of two promising products

Abstract

Virgin olive oil (VOO) is still produced using, essentially, the same principle implemented by Romans, which involves huge simultaneous waste generation (mainly olive pomace and mill wastewater). Over the last decades, the interest in looking for a cost-efficient, technically feasible and environmentally sound solution for the residues generated from olive oil industry has considerably increased. One of the innovative proposed strategies consists on performing a stone removal treatment from clean olives, followed by a dehydration process and a cold press. This procedure drives to two products: 1) an olive oil with numerous potential uses which could certainly meet the increasing demand for highquality oils (with a very high content of bioactive compounds); and 2) a pulp pellet that can be converted into ‘olive flour’ by grinding and which is expected to contain high levels of fiber and bioactive compounds, fulfilling the criteria to act as a potential ingredient in functional food. Carrying out the chemical characterization of both products is essential to estimate its industrial viability and to check the advantages that the novel processing method could bring to the VOO sector.