The provided diagram illustrates the seven-step procedure involved in the production of olive oil, from the initial harvesting of olives to their final preparation for market or keeping.
Overall, the process is linear, beginning with manual collection and culminating in the oil being ready for either sale or storage.
The first stage is the hand picking of olives, which are then moved to the second step for washing and cleaning to remove any debris. Following this, the cleaned olives proceed to crushing, where they are ground into a paste. This paste is then transferred for malaxing, a mixing process designed to help the oil droplets combine.
Once malaxing is complete, the paste undergoes pressing to extract the liquid, which is a mixture of oil and water. Subsequently, this liquid moves to the separation stage, where the oil is carefully separated from the water. Finally, the extracted olive oil is prepared for its ultimate destination: either immediate sale or storage.