Malaxation

Malaxation

Malaxation, a stage in olive oil extraction, is the action of slowly churning or mixing milled olives, typically for 20 to 40 minutes. The churning allows the smaller droplets of oil released by the milling process to aggregate and be more easily separated. The paste is normally heated to around 27°C during this process. Oil yield is proportional to the temperature and mixing time. However, the use of higher temperatures and longer mixing times increases oxidation of the oil and therefore decreases shelf life, so a compromise must be struck. Also, the usage of higher temperatures does not allow for the labelling of the oil as "cold extracted", a term used widely as a marketing tactic, especially in the European Union.

It is now possible with newer equipment to use a blanket of inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide over the olive paste, which greatly reduces oxidation. This allows for an increased yield without compromising the quality of the oil.

After malaxation is complete, the paste is sent to a phase separator. Nearly all producers use a decanter centrifuge for this process. Traditionally the olive oil was separated from the paste using a large press that was either screwed down or weighted with rocks.

See also


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  • Malaxation — Mal ax*a tion, n. [L. malaxatio: cf. F. malaxation.] The act of softening by mixing with a thinner substance; the formation of ingredients into a mass for pills or plasters. [R.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • malaxation — [malaksɑsjɔ̃] n. f. ÉTYM. 1829; attestation isolée, déb. XVIIe; de malaxer. ❖ ♦ Techn. ou littér. Action de malaxer; résultat de cette action. 0 Une seconde opération commença (…) qui consista, à l aide de nouvelles malaxations chimiques, à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • malaxation — softening, 1650s, from L.L. malaxationem (nom. malaxatio), noun of action from pp. stem of malaxare to soften, mollify, from Gk. malassein to make soft, related to malakos soft (see MALLET (Cf. mallet)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • malaxation — ˌmaləkˈsāshən, məˌlakˈs noun ( s) Etymology: Late Latin malaxation , malaxatio act of softening, from Latin malaxatus + ion , io ion 1. : the act or process of reducing to a soft mass by malaxating 2. : the process by which parasitic and… …   Useful english dictionary

  • malaxation — noun The act of softening a mass by malaxating …   Wiktionary

  • malaxation — 1. Formation of ingredients into a mass for pills and plasters. 2. A kneading process in massage. [L. malaxo, pp. atus, to soften] * * * mal·ax·a·tion (mal″ək saґshən) [Gr. malaxis a softening] an act of kneading …   Medical dictionary

  • malaxation — (ma la ksa sion) s. f. Action de malaxer …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Malaxation — Ma|la|xa|ti|on die; , en <aus gleichbed. lat. malaxatio zu malaxare, vgl. ↑malaxieren> (veraltet) Erweichung …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • malaxation — malax·a·tion …   English syllables

  • Olive oil extraction — An olive mill and an olive press dating from Roman times in Capernaum, Israel. Olive oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in the olive drupes for food use. The oil is produced in the mesocarp cells, and stored in a… …   Wikipedia

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