Study of virgin olive oil clarification by settling under dynamic conditions.

Background: Vertical centrifugation is the main method for virgin olive oil (VOO) clarification. However, in recent years, settling tanks are also being used to clarify the oils from decanters. They can operate under static or dynamic conditions. In this work, vertical centrifugation and settling under dynamic conditions for VOO clarification and their effects on VOO characteristics were compared.

Results: VOO quality parameters were not affected by the clarification systems studied. The vertical centrifugal separator (VCS) showed higher clarification efficiency, giving clarified oils with higher phenol content and better sensory characteristics. VOOs clarified by dynamic settling showed notable losses of phenols and worse sensory characteristics, since the tank purge system was not efficient, with most of the impurities remaining in the tanks.

Conclusion: The VCS with minimal water addition is a quick operation with low water consumption and is a better option to produce VOOs of improved quality, especially in terms of longer shelf life and preservation of positive sensory notes. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.