Venue: Rio Vista Olives, 262 Carawatha Drive Mypolonga SA

Date: 13-14 April

Register below.

This highly-acclaimed and comprehensive program will be delivered by Pablo Canamasas, international olive oil consultant, processing expert and EVOO judge. He’ll be joined by Rio Vista Olives’ Master Miller Jared Bettio, a multi-award-winning olive grower and EVOO producer. Rounding out the presenting team is Rio Vista Marketing Manager Sarah Ascuitto, an AIOA judge and internationally qualified Olive Oil Sommelier. A master of descriptives with a brilliant palate, Sarah will take attendees through a tasting of EVOOs to identify significant characteristics, including common defects.

The course covers every aspect of processing quality olive oil, from grove management for optimal fruit quality to best-practice processing and storage. Along the way you’ll learn a lot about olive oil chemistry, and the practical aspects of oil extraction.

Program

On-demand pre-event webinar

Due to time constraints during the live workshop session, registrants will be given access to an on-demand pre-event webinar covering the topics:

• Agronomical aspects: Irrigation, pests and diseases, harvest, transport and harvest-processing delay: Impact on quality and extraction efficiency. Determining optimal harvesting times.
• Oil storage: Different tank designs. Tank farm management. Evolution of the oil quality during storage. Filtration: equipment and impact on quality.
• Understanding Oil Quality: Analytical parameters that determine quality in olive oil. Oil adulteration analysis, new techniques. Determination of shelf life.

Day 1:

• 8.30am Registrations open
• 9.00am –11.30am. Fruit washing. Crushing & Malaxing: Different types of crushers. Crushing degree, principles. Impact on quality. Visual inspection of crusher. Emulsions. Different types of malaxers. Malaxing time: impact on paste extractability and oil quality. Malaxing temperature: Impact on paste extractability and oil quality. New pre-heating technologies.

 Morning tea (15 min)

• 11.45am – 1.00pm. Use of processing aids: Talc powder, microtalc powder, calcium carbonate, citric acid, salt, enzymes, Ultrasound. Combination of processing aids. Impact on paste extractability and oil quality.

 Lunch (45 min)

• 1.45pm – 3.15pm. Horizontal centrifugation: Differences between 2 & 3 phases. Decanter: Centrifugation principles. Working capacity and extraction efficiency: parameters affecting them. Pumping speed: impact on paste extractability. Decanter adjustments. Differential speed.

Afternoon tea (15 min)

• 3.30pm  – 5.00pm. Vertical centrifugation: centrifugation principles. Regulations: water ring. Oil losses at separator step: acceptable limits. Impact on oil quality (temperature of water of addition and poor centrifugation performance). Settling tanks: holding capacity, set up & drainage frequency. Extraction efficiency: Benchmarks. Different methodologies of calculation.
• 5.00pm – 5.30pm. Sarah Ascuitto – EVOO Tasting/Identifying Defects.

Networking dinner – location Rio Vista Olives.

Day 2:

• 8.30am – 12.30am. Processing demonstration – Processing of fruit using different paste preparation approaches to evaluate oil extraction efficiency and quality. Discussion of aspects learned the day before.

• 12.30am – 1.00pm. Tasting of the oils obtained during the trials at the plant. Closing of the course.

Lunch (45 min)

Cost (includes all meals, including networking dinner): Members & levy payers: $275 inc GST, Others: $375 inc GST

Accommodation: if you require accommodation, there are various options in the region. A couple of suggestions:

• Bridgeport Hotel, 2 Bridge St, Murray Bridge, https://bridgeporthotel.com.au/contact/
• Adelaide Rd, Motor Lodge, 212 Adelaide Road, Murray Bridge, https://www.adelaiderdmotorlodge.com/