Olive
Picking methods in olive harvest have barely changed for thousands of years and the hand-picking or beating method has been used for many centuries. There is also the method of picking the olive fruits having fallen from the trees. Harvest is performed between November and March in Turkey.
Olive is an agricultural crop with so great an importance in terms of the Turkey national economy and nutrition of the people.The table olive sector is in a breakthrough in our country as well as all the world over.
Construction of infrastructures employing new technologies in the recent years and the progresses in the sector in the forthcoming years shall create opportunities for our country to process olives of any quality required by the international markets and to be competitive.
Olive Oil
In the olive oil culture, yet another tradition which has not changed for thousands of years is the method of olive oil extraction from the olives. The reason for this is that olive oil is obtained by passing the olives through a cold press and may be eaten without any chemical processes. Just for this reason, there is no difference between the olive oil extraction method employed in the present day and the one used some six thousand years ago: Olive are crushed into pulp and then this pulp is squeezed or passed through a press. And finally, olive oil is separated from the waste water of the olive fruit. Hydraulic presses started to be used once technology developed in the early 19th century. At present, besides hydraulic presses, such machines aimed at obtaining olive oil by centrifugal force without applying any pressure on the olive pulp. The most widespread one among them is the “continuous system”
Continuous system is also called fully automated system. First, olive are sorted out by varieties. Olives dropped into the pit called “funnel” are stripped of their leaves by a machine and crushed and broken in a crusher (the machine finely crumbles the stone at 3.000 cycles) The pulp coming out of the machine is added with water upon stirring and kneading. Pomace and juice are separated. Olive oil and waste water are separated from the juice and the olive oil is taken into the filtering tank. These olive oils are called virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil depending on the acidity and can be consumed directly like a fruit juice. Last sediments are removed and the olive oil is left into the settling tank. From here, virgin and extra virgin olive oil is filled in kettles, cans and bottles. Pomace left of the olive oil is re-ground and used in making soap. Pomace sediment is called a pellet and used for fuel.
In order to obtain olive oil of good quality: Olives should be processed as soon as possible after the harvest. The olive oil quality will be degraded if olives are processed as late as after harvest. Olives must be well cleaned before entering the process in the mill and olive oil must be stored in proper condition.