Many olive oil oil brands place “first pressed” and/or “cold-pressed” on their labels– however, what specifically do those terms mean? Unfortunately, some companies add words like these emptily on their labels as a marketing strategy. They can often have little truth or accuracy behind them. Over time, this has caused several customers to forget what these terms mean or to ignore them altogether.

Okay, So What Is “First Cold-Pressed?”

“First Cold-Pressed” is a method used by manufacturers to extract olive oil from the olive fruits. Oils termed ‘first pressed’, simply imply that the olives were only crushed and pressed a single time. The vegetable oil extracted from the primary pressing is of the very best quality and purity.

Any oil that is termed ‘Cold-pressed’ simply means that the olives did not exceed an exact temperature throughout the pressing process– around eighty degrees. Keeping the olives cooler ensures maximum quality. 

Why Cold-Pressed?

Producers of low-quality olive oils can press their olives multiple times at high heats. This kind of extraction approach yields additional oil out of the olives. However, this method conjointly destroys the plenty of nutrition within the olives and creates a lower quality of olive oil. Manufacturers who take this approach are looking to sell an inferior and cheaper product to generate higher profits.

Olive oil that is created in the proper manner, first cold-pressed has a flavor and texture difference you’ll notice. The natural earthiness and richness enliven the food you use it in, in such a way that lower quality olive oils simply can’t do. Also, olive oil that is cold pressed maintains the foremost antioxidants. Therefore, it offers the greatest health benefits to you.

What is the dissimilarity between cold-pressing and cold extraction?

'Cold extraction', refers to virgin or extra virgin olive oils procured at a temperature below 27 degrees Celsius, by percolation (filtration, separation) or centrifugation of the olive paste. The olives aren't pressed as such but rather extracted by a centrifuge.

The term "cold-pressed" is employed for olive oil that is pressed with a standard mechanical press, which is an antiquated process that farmers often used in the past.

For 'cold extraction' to happen, it is necessary to implement the adequate technology at the oil mill in order to ensure that the temperature of 27 degrees Celsius is not exceeded throughout the whole extraction process. The components of the oil which are responsible for the characteristic aroma and scent are unchanged.

Cold extraction ensures that the very best quality for extra virgin olive oil is produced. Extra-virgin olive oil is always cold extracted or pressed, but a cold-extracted or pressed olive oil is not necessarily extra-virgin. O-Live is a cold-extracted extra virgin olive oil, and one of the highest quality olive oils you can get.

The modern technique of olive oil extraction uses an industrial decanter to separate all the phases by centrifugation. The olives are crushed to a fine paste. This can be done by a disc crusher, hammer crusher, de-pitting machine or a knife crusher. The paste is then pumped into an industrial decanter. The paste is spun in a centrifuge to separate the oil. The lower the temperature, the lower the acidity, which leads to a high-quality oil. Acidity is the weight ratio of free oleic acid in comparison with the total quantity of oil. This is an important aspect of olive oil. 

O-Live has an acidity level of 0.2%, which is far below the industry average of 0.8% and a testament to O-Live's freshness and quality.

Let your taste buds lead you! Come alive with O-Live!