Olive seeds:what to do with olive pits?

A Spanish olive oil maker is exploring new uses for typically discarded products. In fact, olive pits have a range of health-promoting properties that could be used in beauty products, foods, supplements, and more. This manufacturer is paving the way for new uses for olive byproducts by trying to answer the question what to do with olive pits? The implementation is made by extracting the seeds from the olive pits using a special optical sorting technology, for possible pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic applications. The company, based in the Spanish region of Jaèn, was founded just five years ago by engineer and economist Josè Maria Olmo Peinado, who has years of experience in the industry. With olive seeds containing impressive antioxidant and polyphenol qualities, Peinado hopes it could be the next big superfood to hit the market. According to Raschid Stoffel, Business Development Manager of Grupo Elayo, the decision to research the use of olive seeds began with the company's experience in olive growing in general. While they mainly produce olive oils and olive oil pearls (or caviar), the company's vision is to turn tradition into innovation by developing a better understanding of the olive tree as a whole. and industry processes involved in production. The company explores the byproducts of the traditional olive oil extraction process, including its skins, pits and more.

how to use olive seeds

In particular, olive seeds have caught the attention of researchers at Grupo Elayo because they contain high concentrations of polyphenols and antioxidants, along with a high level of quality dietary fiber. In order to access the seeds in the pits (and its researched bioactive components), the seeds go through a rigorous cleaning and sorting process, which is facilitated by a partner company called Buhler Sortex. This company offers optical sorting solutions, necessary for sorting seeds from pits and its fragments on a large scale, since the color difference between the two is invisible to the naked eye.

First, the pits are broken up and taken to a sorting machine. Next, an InGaAs (Indium Gallium Arsenide) camera uses a short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range to detect color differences between seeds, pits, and fragments.

Only 25 tons of olives are needed to extract 1,250 kg of seeds, with less than one percent being lost in the process, making it a highly viable and productive alternative to disposing of olive pits as waste.

According to Stoffel, Grupo Elayo's main product concern is the olive seed, from which olive seed flour and olive oil are obtained after a pressing process.

The seed itself can be eaten as a filling for sweet and savory baked goods, used in bread dough, and even toasted and caramelized to create an unusual and healthy ice cream or chocolate filling.

The flour can be used in place of normal flour or as a healthier breading for meats and potatoes or as a topping for salads, and the seed oil can be used as an even healthier alternative to conventional olive oil, and as an ingredient in soaps, creams and more, he said.

“Corazón de Oliva (Heart of Olive Oil) Oil is an oil rich in oleic acid and linoleic acid, which stands out for its high content of bioactive compounds,” states the company's website, “ among which are phenolic compounds and squalene which have been shown to have beneficial effects on health, prevention and treatment of different diseases. »