A modelling approach to Extra Virgin olive oil extraction

Abstract - Current performance of extra virgin olive oil market requires daily updating of quality standards whilst maintaining prices. Therefore, many specialists have aimed at improving critical working procedures at specific or general levels, as shown in specialized publications [4, 5]. Recent commercial strategy has shown that requested industrial oil production is capable of obtaining a high quality marketable product. This improved oil production quality can be optimized with automatic controlling systems on the mechanical extraction lines, capable of numerous quality procedural improvements [9]. The improved quality of olive oil extraction can be obtained using specific software able to control the whole process and manage the variables involved. The main objectives of the control process system are minimizing oil quality faults for not perfectly cultivated, picked and stored olives, and maximizing extracted oil quality levels for well cultivated, picked and stored olives. Study objective has been the realization of a numeric modeling instrument for assessing agronomical and technical values, defining olive and process characteristics.