Valorisation of the by-products derived from Piantone di Mogliano olives through the implementation of new IR drying processes

The olive sector is constantly recovering in the Marche Region: over a third of the tree crops are in fact olive groves and 80% of the Marche's farms grow olive trees. Moving towards more and more quality productions linked to the territory is causing a progressive recovery of biodiversity connected to local varieties. However, the search for quality determines a lower percentage of oil obtained from controlled-temperature production processes. The oil extracted is in fact between 10-15% of the total (in kg) of pressed olives. The remaining part, called sansa, is a waste to be disposed of. Pewters are already on the market to separate the woody residues of the olive core (c.d. nocciolino) from the liquid part of the pomace. Once dried, this by-product has a higher calorific value than pellets and is therefore an excellent fuel for boilers. The limits to the development of the hazelnut is mainly due to the high costs, in terms of energy and volumes due to economies of scale, for drying plants. The remaining liquid part of the pomace is very rich in polyphenols and fibers, but it oxidizes very quickly and can only be stored for a long time at low temperatures. Moreover the very high acidity (correlated to the presence of polyphenols) makes it impossible to take it in pure form as a food. For these reasons, this by-product is currently sold, with very low value, to biogas production plants. Being able to introduce it to the market as an ingredient for human and animal nutrition and as an organic soil conditioner for agricultural land could represent a significant source of increase in profitability margins not only for all companies in the olive sector, but also for farmers and bakers.