QUALITY OF VIRGIN OLIVE OIL EXTRACTED WITH THE NEW CENTRIFUGATION SYSTEM USING A 2-PHASES DECANTER

Research has been carried out to determine the quality of oil extracte d with the new centrifugation system adopting a two-phases decanter. T he quality has also been compared with that of oil extracted with the current centrifugation system using a three-phases decanter. Tests wer e performed in an industrial oil mill, that was equipped with two- and three-phases decanters. Results obtained show that oil extracted with the two different decanters do nor differ in free fatty acids, peroxi de value, and ultraviolet absorption. On the contrary, the polyphenol and o-diphenol contents are higher in oils obtained with the new centr ifugation system than those of oils from the current centrifugation sy stem. For this reason oils obtained with the new extraction system sho w an increased resistance to autoxidation.