How Olive Oil Is Made?
How Olive Oil Is Made?
After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fiber disks, which are stacked on top of each other in a column, then placed into the press. Pressure is then applied onto the column to separate the vegetal liquid from the paste. This liquid still contains a significant amount of water. Traditionally the oil was shed from the water by gravity (oil is less dense than water). This very slow separation process has been replaced by centrifugation, which is much faster and more thorough. The centrifuges have one exit for the (heavier) watery part and one for the oil.
In 2019–20, world production of olive oil was 3.2 million metric tons (3.5 million short tons). Spain produced 35% of world production. The next largest producers were Italy, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey and Morocco.
San Marino has by far the largest per capita consumption of olive oil worldwide, around 24 L of olive oil per person per year; Greece, Spain and Italy, around 14 L; Tunisia, Portugal, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, around 8 L; Israel, around 3.5 L.