L'olio di oliva calabrese: aspetti produtivi e tecnologici

A study was carried out from 1991-1992 to 2001-2002 in the field of olive and olive
oil productions in Southern Italy. Olive cultivars and collecting methods for
drupes as well as extraction systems of olive oil in the Calabrian Region were investigated.
As the quality of the oil is closely correlated to the olive cultivars and to
the climate, but also to the olive collecting and to the oil extraction system, it is very important to know the olive and olive oil
processing systems in the Calabrian Region.
The most wide-spread olives for oil cultivars in the 5 provinces of Calabrian
Region are: Carolea, Ottobratica, Sinopolese,
Dolce di Rossano, Grossa di Gerace,
Roggianella, and Grossa di Cassano. Olive collecting is conducted by hand, or by
mechanical shaking of plants, or waiting for the natural fall of drupes into the nets.
In the past, the most popular extraction system of olive oil in Calabria was the so
called traditional or classic system, constituted
by stone mill crusher and pressure of the olive paste. At present, the most
employed are the so called modern or continuous
systems, with metal crusher and centrifugation of the crushed paste.