Venue: Rio Vista Olives, 262 Carawatha Drive Mypolonga SA

Dates: 18-19 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.

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

Day 1, 18 April:

• 09.30am – 10.00am – Registrations
• 10.00am – 11.25am – Pre-season arrangements. Aspects related to the operations set up and organization ahead of harvest time. Oil chemistry basics. Oxidation and fermentation processes during storage. Blanketing and sediments removal. Types of storage tanks and sedimentation. Oil chemistry basics to understand shelf life.
• 11.25am – 12.15pm – Agronomical aspects impacting on oil quality. Irrigation, pests and diseases, harvest, transport and harvest-processing delay: Impact on quality and extraction efficiency. Determining optimal harvesting times.
• 12.15pm – 01.00pm – Lunch
• 01.00pm – 02.15pm – 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.
• 02.15pm – 03.15pm – Use of processing aids: Microtalc powder, Kaolinitic clays & enzymes. Ultrasound & Pulse electric field. Combination of processing aids. Impact on paste extractability and oil quality.
• 03.15pm – 03.30pm – Afternoon tea
• 03.30pm – 05.15pm – 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. 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.
• 05.15pm – 06.00pm – Oil storage and filtration.
• 06.30pm – Networking dinner at Rio Vista Olives.

Day 2, 19 April:

• 08.00am – 01.00pm – Processing demonstration – Processing of fruit using different paste preparation approaches to evaluate oil extraction efficiency. Discussion of aspects learned the day before. Use of processing aids. Tasting of the oils made.
• 01.00pm – 02.00pm – Lunch, close of workshop.

Cost (includes all meals, including networking dinner on day 1): 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/