Pomace (Residue) Olive Oil

Olive pomace oil is olive oil that is extracted from olive pulp after the first press. Once the mechanical oil extraction of olive oil is complete, approximately 5-8% of the oil remains in the pulp, which then needs to be extracted with the help of solvents, an industrial technique used in the production of most other edible oils including canola, peanut, sunflower, etc. Although the oil extracted in this manner is still olive oil, at retail it may not simply be called “olive oil”. This is because the International Olive Council defines olive oil as “the oil obtained solely from the fruit of the olive tree, to the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or re-esterification processes”

Of the residue of the olive can be elaborated three different types of oil:

1. Crude olive pomace oil: Olive-pomace oil whose characteristics are those laid down for this category. It is intended for refining for use for human consumption, or it is intended for technical use. Its acidity is more than 2º. This oil is not for human consumption. 

2. Refined olive pomace oil: Oil obtained by refining crude olive-pomace oil. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.5º (0.5 grams per 100 grams) and its other characteristics correspond to those laid down for this category. Same as the crude oil it  is not  for human consumption. 

3. Olive pomace oil: Oil consisting of a blend of refined olive-pomace oil and virgin olive oils fit for consumption as they are. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 1 gram per 100 grams and its other characteristics correspond to those laid down for this category. In no case shall this blend be called "olive oil". Warnings about possible carcinogenic properties of olive-pomace oil have been issued by the British Food Standards Agency as well as others. Quoted from the above reference, "Olive-Pomace oil is made from the residue left after producing virgin olive oil. It is the lowest grade of oil and it represents only a tiny amount of the UK vegetable oil market, around 0.25% of the one million tonnes consumed each year.

Have been reported that high levels of contaminants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which can cause cancer, were found in some olive-pomace oil products.The contamination is believed to result from the process used to produce this oil. Many Countries introduced a temporary ban on olive-pomace oil in response to these findings. It has now set legal limits for the maximum amount of PAHs in olive oil."

There is a phrase that sums this topic up: the Virgin Olive Oil, it is obtained, and the residue oil is made.

Olive oil is extracted from the fruit of the olive tree. There are different types, grades and uses of olive oil, depending on how the original oil is extracted. Pomace oil is a lesser grade and quality than olive oil due to the way in which it is extracted and the chemicals used in the process. It is important that you know the difference between pomace oil and olive oil before using it to avoid misusing the product.

The olive pomace oil is a byproduct of the Virgin Olive Oil, which is obtained from the grinding of solid waste recovered after the first pressure and centrifugation (something of olives and pieces of bone). In this process are commonly used solvents to optimize production. 

In the heating process they undergo the mentioned waste to evaporate solvents, can originate a toxin called benzopyrene. 

The pomace oil is obtained from the grinding of solid waste recovered after the first pressure and centrifugation of olive oil.