{"id":8227,"date":"2019-11-14T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/olive-yield-what-it-is-and-what-it-depends-on\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T20:28:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T18:28:20","slug":"olive-yield-what-it-is-and-what-it-depends-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/olive-yield-what-it-is-and-what-it-depends-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Olive Yield: What It Is and What It Depends On"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n
\"THE-GRAPE-TAKING-ABOUT-WHAT-IT-IS\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Every year at the start of the oil season, the figure that is awaited with some trepidation is what the oil yield will be. It is a kind of productivity index<\/strong>, a percentage value that basically quantifies how many liters of oil were produced with 100 kg of olives. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

It is a value that can vary significantly based on\nvarious aspects related to the entire Olive supply chain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The oil yield of the crush, or the liters of\noil obtained from the pressing of a certain quantity of olives, is the main topic\nduring waits at the mill. In this value, expressed in\npercentage, the expectations and hopes of olive growers are catalyzed.\nA good yield can pay back for a year’s work and costs incurred as well as\nthat of pressing. Generally, the oil yield increases over time and the latest\ncrushings are more satisfactory. <\/p>\n\n

Olive yield:\nwhat it’s all about<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In the following article we will look at some aspects\nthat are essential to better understand what we mean when we talk about olive yield\nand what variables condition this figure.<\/p>\n\n

The aspects we will focus on are:<\/p>\n\n

  1. What is meant by \u201csurrender\u201d<\/li>
  2. What the yield of\n olives depends on<\/li>
  3. The right conditions to foster\n yield<\/li>
  4. The price and yield<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    What is meant by \u201colive yield\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

    The yield is related to the oil extracted during processing\nat the mill, is therefore the oil present in the individual fruits and depends\nmainly on the variety of olives, the weather (how much and\nwhen it rained) and the peculiar characteristics of the mill where\nprocessing takes place. In other words, if on productivity man can try to\nintervene in several stages, for yield, the only moment dependent and controlled\nby man is the pressing. <\/p>\n\n

    In fact, the yield is closely linked to the quality\nof the oil<\/strong>, the type of crusher, cold extraction and\nthen with always controlled temperatures; reduced kneading times,\ngenerally favor, on the one hand, the quality and positive\ncharacteristics of the oil while on the other hand decreasing the yield and therefore the final quantity of\noil obtained.<\/p>\n\n

    Want to know more about oil extraction methods?Read the article devoted to this topic: What are the methods of olive oil extraction?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n

    What the yield\nof olives depends on<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

    The olive tree is a centuries-old plant that lives in strong symbiosis\nwith the environment, of which it acquires a \u201cgenetic code\u201d referring to the\nspecific characteristics of the geographical area in which it is located.<\/p>\n\n

    As even imperceptible microclimates vary,\ntherefore, so do the properties of the oil produced<\/strong>, with shades of\nremarkable quality from one harvest to the next.<\/p>\n\n

    For this reason, pedo-climatic conditions are so\ndeterminant in attributing value to an extra virgin oil: temperature,\nrainfall, altitude, soil type, exposure to sun and wind<\/strong> are\nall elements, in fact, that peculiarly affect the product, with\nthe result of a remarkable diversity of organoleptic and\nqualitative characteristics.<\/p>\n\n

    The help of a favorable climate in regions that are by nature suited\nto olive growing-along with the use of scrupulous and rational\nagronomic techniques-are therefore ideal prerequisites for achieving a good quality extra virgin\nworthy of the name.<\/p>\n\n

    The variety (cultivar) of the olive plant, and thus the\ncharacteristics of the fruit (shape, size, pulp-to-stone ratio),\ngreatly affects the organoleptic qualities of the oil.<\/p>\n\n

    There are more than 700 types of cultivars in Italy. The\noptimal choice of when to harvest also depends greatly on the number of plants,\nhow loaded they are, and the means and resources available. <\/p>\n\n

    Broadly speaking, oil production and revenues from\nsale appear to be little affected by the harvest period.<\/strong> Therefore,\npostponing the harvest trusting in a better yield leads to only\napparent (illusory) benefits. <\/p>\n\n

    In addition, the harvest is still subject to risk because\nany bad weather may preclude the possibility of harvesting, may\ndamage or reduce the crop, etc. In other words, with time the\nprobability of something going wrong increases. <\/p>\n\n

    The right conditions to\nfoster yield<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

    The time and manner used to harvest the\nolives equally greatly affect the final product.<\/p>\n\n

    In fact, there is no identical harvest period for\nall olives<\/strong>: it varies-over a season between\nSeptember (for early varieties) and December\/January (for late varieties)-\ndepending on cultivar, environmental conditions and agronomic practices.<\/p>\n\n

    The veraison <\/em> stage -that is, the progressive\ncolor change of the olive epicarp (i.e., the outer part of the\nfruit) from green to purple to black, depending on the variety-\nis the optimal one for obtaining a quality oil, rich in polyphenols and\nfruity.<\/p>\n\n

    A color variation -indicative of the increase in\naccumulation of oil, volatile components and antioxidant substances in the pulp-\ndecisive, therefore, for the time of harvesting: harvesting which must not,\nhowever, take place before veraison, in order to avoid too modest a yield\n<\/strong> and excessive and unpleasant notes of bitterness and spiciness in the oil.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    The methods for harvesting olives have also been handed down,\nfor the most part, as they were in the past: in fact, traditional manual techniques\ncoexist today alongside more modern mechanized systems.<\/p>\n\n

    It is not bad to remember that from a certain point onwards the\noil yield of olives increases only apparently; various studies indicate that the inoliation\nof the drupe <\/strong>(the stage of ripening of the fruit, the drupe precisely, in which\nthe lipid quota increases i.e., the amount of oil) begins\nas early as August<\/strong> (average period for Italy) and ends in November<\/strong>,\nso that beyond this date the increase in yield is only apparent since, with the\ndehydration (decrease in the watery part of the fruit), the ratio of total weight to extracted oil varies\nsignificantly.<\/p>\n\n

    It is an obstacle to a good yield whether a very coarse\nsized kernel or a pulverized kernel; in practice, placing the\npaste between the fingers, the latter should feel fluid, while feeling the\nminute fractions of the kernel almost sting the fingertips. It is of fundamental\nimportance the presence of these kernel fractions that in the \u201ccontinuous\u201d\npromote \u201cbeaching,\u201d that is, the separation in centrifugation of the\nliquid part from the solid part, which through these small particles drains as,\nprecisely, water does on the sand in the beach. <\/p>\n\n

    Hammer crushers certainly cause more\nemulsion of the oil particles, but they seem to be able to extract more color\nfrom the olives while mullers, which have no contraindications as a\nmethod of crushing except for the slowness of the operation, seem to be able, where the\nis deemed excessive, to mitigate the bitterness in the oil.<\/p>\n\n

    It is therefore advisable, with tests, to define the average times of\ngramation that allow to obtain oils well endowed with polyphenols and\npleasant to the taste and the best possible yield, let it be clear that in fact it\nis a matter of defining the best compromise, not for nothing that gramation is\nthe most oxidative operation in the whole extraction cycle, and therefore it is the\ngreatest risk to quality.<\/p>\n\n

    The price and yield <\/h2>\n\n

    The cost of pressing is about 15 euros per 100 kg of\nolives<\/strong>, but it can vary from mill to mill and from the region\nof Italy where it is done.<\/p>\n\n

    Generally for small quantities of oil for family use, there are no obligations of any kind. If the number of liters produced is more than 200 liters, however, packaging is mandatory. In this case, the mill will request the private individual’s fiscal data for the issuance of the packaging invoice and will have to send communication to the relevant bodies for control checks. Packaging at the mill is done in 5-liter cans. <\/p>\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n
    Discover our selection of extra virgin olive oil<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Every year at the start of the oil season, the figure that is awaited with some trepidation is what the oil yield will be. It is a kind of productivity index, a percentage value that basically quantifies how many liters of oil were produced with 100 kg of olives. It is a value that can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":5959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[188],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oil-and-oil-press"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8228,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8227\/revisions\/8228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contedoro.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}