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<pre>I believe that you are completely right, Brian.
Our oil (that has an excellent quality) is stirred (the process between milling
and pressing, the so called gramolatura) for about 30 minutes in containers that
are heated with a water heating system of about 35-40° centigrade water
temperature. The pulp will heat to 30-32°, that is to say below our body
temperature. When it arrives in the separator it will have a lower temperature
which of course nobody is able to measure. The oil comes out at about 25° C
which is about the normal room temperature in late springtime. So what's the
problem? The problem arises when some mills go up to and over 40° pulp
temperature (as I measured in the mill I used some years ago), tempting to
satisfy those farmers who believe that they can get thus a higher yield. Indeed,
the olives I did there had a yield of about 17% in early november, while the
other mill gives me 15% at its best in this period. I can tell you it's not
worth it, this oil is not so fruity and after less than 2 years it's completely
"gone". I changed the mill.
Anyway I have asked many persons, also tecnicians, but nobody was able to tell
me what is cold pressed.
Volker


----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Chatterton <tn7685@orvienet.it>
To: <OliveOil@onelist.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 1999 2:39 PM
Subject: [OliveOil] Labels.


From: tn7685@orvienet.it (Brian Chatterton)

Cold Pressed.

This creates considerable confusion on labels. You are looking down
the rows of bottles and see hundreds of labels - all extravergine - which
is the best? One of the descriptions says "cold pressed". Does this
indicate a better oil?

Firstly there are many factors between the tree and the bottle that
are important for oil quality - temperature of processing is an important
one but others can have a devestating effect on quality too.

More important is what is "cold"? I tried in a completely
unscientific survey of my friends to see what they thought it meant. There
was no agrrement on temperature and I am sure if I had some Inuit friends
all the temperatures mentioned would have been considered a heat wave.

Further discussion produced the view that "cold pressed" olives
were not artifically heated - that is they were pressed at ambient
temperature. Again we have an enormous range. The olive crop was harvested
in Tunisia in October and day temperatures of 20°C were common. A couple of
Saturdays ago we were trying to pick olives but it kept snowing and when we
finally gave up I saw the temperature outside the kitchen door was 3°C. It
is certainly quite a range for "ambient cold".

I have not been able to track the official "cold press" temperature
down but one is certainly allowed to heat the olives. I doubt whether
extraction at only 3°C would be possible. I have been told that heating up
to 35°C is still regarded as "cold press".

Can anyone confirm this?

Does the International Olive Oil Council set a standard?

If the official limit for "cold press" is that high almost all good quality
extravergine oils would be "cold pressed" and putting it to the label does
not add any unique information to help the consumer to make a choice.

Cheers Brian Chatterton

***** Life is healthier with Olive Oil *****
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</pre>
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