A large increase in demand for high-quality virgin olive oil during the past few years can be attributed not only to its potential health benefits, but also to its particular organoleptic properties. The aim of increasing the quality standards for virgin olive oil is continuously stimulating the search for new technologies. All operations carried out during the oil extraction process aim to obtain the highest quality of oil from fruits. Malaxation is one of the most important critical points of the olive oil mechanical extraction process. The employment of wrong mixing conditions (time, temperature and atmosphere) compromise the healthy and organoleptic properties of the product. A new malaxer was projected and tested to improve thermal exchange reducing the malaxation time and enhancing the virgin olive oil quality. The experimental data showed that resistance to oxidation, total phenols and pleasant volatile compounds were higher in the extracted olive oils employing the innovative malaxer than in the extracted oils utilizing the traditional one.

The third era in olive oil extraction sees a new generation of decanter that give the operator the possibility to chose time by time the type of working: two or three phase shifting from one solution to the other without stopping the machine and even intermediate solutions between two or three phase, making the most suitable adjustments, following olive variety, just as the machine works. A decanter centrifuge was employed during the experimental tests with variable differential speed between bowl and screw conveyor (Dn) and with regulation capability of oil-pulp ring levels. Thus permit to shift from three to two phase, reducing water added and discharging the following by-products: dehydrated husk similar to that of three-phase and recovers a wet pulp that is the between the liquid phase and the solid phase. This paper aims to report the preliminary results of the energy and functional efficiency of the decanter when it works in the industrial scale plant and using a continuous method. The trials were carried out at two different flow rate values; for each flow rate the different variable differential speed between bowl and screw conveyor was varied at 15,50, 17,50 and 19,50. Quality olive, operating speed of the crusher machine and relative feed flow rate of the machine, the malaxing time and the degree of dilution of the paste, as well as the oil-pulp ring level were the same for all the trials. Irrespective of the flow rate and Dn used, the machine tends to stabilize energy consumption in a very short time and values were quite similar to each other. The reductions in flow rate do not involve reductions of energy consumption indeed lead to the increase of absorption per unit mass of product worked. For all thesis studied, no significant changes of the oil recovery efficiency were found, indeed changing the flow rate and the Dn a different distribution of the not extracted oil was found in the pulp and in the husk. To complete the knowledge, a set of trials changing also the oil-pulp ring levels, has been provided for the next olive oil season.

In order to define design criteria for CO2 refrigeration systems to be used for agricultural products and foodstuff storage, a variable geometrical system was realized, with the goal of meeting a wide range of environmental and process conditions, such as producing low environmental impact and maintaining the highest Coefficient of Performance (COP), at the same time. This test-bench, at semi-industrial scale, was designed as a result of experimental tests carried out on Arugula. The storage tests showed that all samples stored in cold rooms with R.H. control showed a slight increase of weight but also small rot zones in all the boxes due to an excessive accumulation of water condensation; thus, the system may not have achieved conditions that RH requires in a given range, without reaching saturation condition. At the same time, the use of CO2 must be adequately tested along its thermodynamic cycle, during steady state and/or transient conditions, imposing variable working conditions that can simulate plant starting phase or some striking conservation process, like those that characterize sausages. The designed plant will allow studying these specific performances and evaluate COP variation, according to environmental and plant operating conditions

The performance of an innovative horizontal centrifugal decanter working in a continuous industrial olive oil extraction plant was evaluated. This decanter produces two streams a semi-solid residue (or pulp) formed from the wastewater and soft solids (i.e. without fragments of stone) and a husk rich in rigid solids from pit shells. Considering the phase separation obtained using this machine, and increasing number of restrictive laws on waste disposal, this decanter is of significant interest for use in olive oil extraction. The effects of varying the decanter centrifuge settings are documented and discussed. A correlation between the mass flow rate, water ring levels and conveyor-bowl differential speed with respect to the extracted efficiency, husk fat content and pulp water fat content was evaluated. The decanter studied was found to maintain high values of extraction efficiency between 86.5% and 90.8% for a large range of feed mass flow rates (4075–5820 kg h−1) and for a large range of conveyor-bowl differential speeds (15.5–26.0 rpm). In addition, by appropriately adjusting the ring level of the waste-water output, it was possible to obtain a greater or lesser soft solid content, with a greater or lesser amount of residual oil.

Rabbit manure and slaughtering (treated in autoclave at 133 °C and 3 bar, per 20 min) by-products have been used in a composting process. Three heaps of 4700 kg each have been investigated and experimental tests were carried out in an industrial horizontal axe reactor: 1) rabbit manure + rabbit slaughtering by-products + straw (C/N = 18,15); 2) rabbit manure + rabbit slaughtering by-products + straw (C/N = 16,2); 3) rabbit manure + rabbit slaughtering by-products (C/N = 14,9). The composting heaps were turned by means of a protoype of turning machine. The composting time lasted 85 days. For each examined heap, we examined the progression of fermentation process, so also the plant limitations that did not allow a correct composting process. The results allow for the chemical, physical and mechanical identification of the studied biomass. These are also useful for the development of appropriate mixtures, machines and plants assuring continuance and reliability in the composting of the biomass coming from rabbit industry. Thereby, producing compost which conforms to the law.

In order to improve the competitiveness on the global market the major objective of the world olive growing industry seems to be the reduction of the production costs and the increase of the number of olive trees per hectare. The production cost analysis indicates that harvesting is of utmost importance. As a result it is important to mechanize and innovate the harvesting process. Using olive harvesting mechanization systems it is necessary both to reduce the production costs and to improve the quality of the olives and subsequently of the oil. In the order of increasing importance and cost of the machine, the following olive harvesting mechanization systems are used in high density orchards: hand held shaker or trunk shaker with different interceptor systems. Various tests have been done on the different harvesting systems to compare the fruit removal efficiency and work productivity. Our results have demonstrated that the work productivity increases when the harvesting mechanization systems are used and that productivity increases proportionally to the power of the mechanization systems. When the hand held shaker is used the work productivity is doubled, compared with harvesting by hand. However, it is important to note that the hand held shaker is only suitable for sloping or terracing ground and small family run farms. Other tests were carried out in high density orchard (200-300 trees/hectare) using the trunk shaker system. Our test results have demonstrated that if the trunk shaker machine is used the work productivity increases and the degree of improvement depends on the different interceptor systems ranging from the nets to the reverse umbrella. The conclusion drawn from the tests results is that all the harvesting mechanization systems reduce the production costs of the olives and increase the work productivity, improving the competitiveness on the global market.

Pruning is one of the most important crop techniques that influences the longevity of the tree, and quantitative and qualitative aspects of crop production. Nowadays though, this crop technique results to be the main costs, second only to the harvesting of the fruits. Nowadays the tools that are used for pruning of olive trees are loppers (traditionally made out of wood, but currently made out of aluminum). For the cutting hand saws or pneumatic chainsaws are used. The pruning done in this matter results to be tiresome, due to the ladders transport up and down, together with various tools, and because of the problems related to the workers’ safety who have to work holding themselves in balance on unsteady ladders. In this paper the fine tuning of a movable platform specifically for agriculture is studied, to thereby facilitate the pruning of olive trees and harvesting of the fruits. The research had been realized in three different phases, the first regards the planning of the machine’s fine tuning, the second regards its certification according to the European laws CEE 89/392, in compliance with the decrees 91/368, 93/44 and 93/68 and finally the third phase regards the experimental tests that will be carried out, comparing the system with the traditional pruning system using loppers.

The olive oil extraction process is a combination between a mechanical eparation of lipid fraction from the olive paste and a complex enzymatic transformation of same compounds. The enzymes are released after the disruption and smashing of the olive cell structure due to the crushing process. The fruit enzymes catalyze both desirable and undesirable reactions during the olive paste mixing. The oxygen plays a primary role in both circumstances. In order to produce an excellent extra virgin olive oil correct strategies have to be used to optimize the oxygen employment during the extraction process. The control of this parameter, coupled to the right choice of crushing machine, is able to emphasize the organoleptic and healthy properties of product. Experimental tests were carried out in order to verify the influence of oxygen on olive oil quality. Virgin olive oil samples were extracted employing an industrial plant equipped with an innovative mixer instead of a traditional type. The mixer was made with a hermetically sealed cap, and valve for inert gas. Oxygen measurement were carried out employing an oximeter. The experimental data showed that resistance to the oxidation and total phenols were higher in the olive oils extracted employing inert gas in the head space of the malaxer, while pleasant volatile compounds were higher in the olive oils extracted utilizing low concentration of oxygen in the composition of atmosphere in contact with olive paste.