<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Howdy,

I'm rather new to the list, and am a graduate student doing research on
traditional olive oil production in the Near East. I've done most of my
research in Jordan and Palestine/Israel. I do have a comment about a
statement posted earlier on the list:

On Sat, 7 Aug 1999, Sadoun wrote:

> Dear Sohair
>
> Olive Oil production should switch from the old traditional method to using
> the new continuos methods using centrifuges (decanters and Separators). The
> Syrian press owners are moving slowly to changing their aging equipment.
> This will improve the quality of olive oil produced in terms of lower
> acidity levels, better taste, etc. Most of the villages in Northern Syria
> lack new olive pressing plants. The farmers will have to wait for days
> sometimes weeks to get their olive pressed. That deteriorates their
> olives.

While the delay at the oil mill does cause problems with the olives, I
disagree that going to modern methods is not always the best path to take.
A large number of the high quality (and high priced) oil on the market are
from small mills that do traditional methods. Crushing with the
traditional stone millstones (some bottles have pictures of such stones or
the method is mentioned on the label) and pressed with an upright (usually
hydraulic) press, giving "cold pressed" oil. Most of the people I've
talked to in my research prefer the cold pressed oil to oil produced at
centrifugal mills. I think as modern bulk produced oil erodes the market
of the traditionally produced oil, taste preferences shift towards the
modern oil as it is the only oil people are then accustomed too. I found
the oils produced at the traditional mills to be much more flavorfull and
exciting than the oil from the modern mills I visited. I think it would
be to the benefit of all that some traditional mills continue to produce,
rather than switching over to the centrifugal process. Proper exposure
and sales could allow them to produce a quality product.

Peter Warnock
Dept. of Anthropology
Univ. of Missouri
Columbia, MO
c581927@showme.missouri.edu



>
> When I talked to some of the traditional press owners about switching and
> modernizing their equipment, they expressed their fear that the farmers
> might not accept the new technology and might not patronize their presses
> anymore. I believe with more education, the farmers will realize the impact
> of the new equipment in improving the quality of their oil, thus making it
> more marketable outside of Syria.
>
> One good example in Aleppo is Al Zaitony and Al Hariri in southern Syria.
> They have purchased 4 Alfa Laval continuos plants from us in the past few
> years. Their business is booming and the quality of their olive oil is much
> better. However, in the North of Syria there is still a long way to go in
> modernization. In general, I am impressed by the volume of olive and oil
> production in Syria.
>
> Jamal