Exploiting Virgin Olive Oil By-products Using Hydrodistillation

Abstract

Virgin olive oil processing results in a large amount of biomass (leaves, pomace, stones and wastewater) during harvesting, pruning and production. In recent years, these by-products have been studied as possible sources of bioactive compounds, and several techniques have been developed, including microwave, ultrasound, subcritical extraction, high hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electric field, and high-voltage electrical discharge. However, these techniques can be expensive, and may require specialized staff to implement them. Therefore, this study proposes a novel method. Hydrodistillation is a simple and fast technique that can recover valuable compounds from olive oil biomasses. As it uses water as a solvent, it is sustainable, does not harm the environment, and is compatible with industrial practice.