Importance

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Abstract

Olive oil is recovered from olives by separating olive pits from olives to obtain a pitless olive meat, by maintaining the pitless olive meat at a temperature of about 70.degree. F. to about 110.degree. F., by introducing the pitless olive meat to an extraction zone, by withdrawing a liquid phase comprising olive oil, water, and a minor proportion of pulp from a first portion of the extraction zone, and by withdrawing a substantially dry solid olive pulp from a second portion of the extraction zone. The pulp and water are separated from the oil to obtain a pure olive oil. An inert additive is mixed with the pitless olive meat before extraction to increase the yield of product olive oil. Where olive culls are used as the starting material, the culls are wetted before the pits are separated.

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First Claim