Process and apparatus for the integral utilization of oil-producing drupes, particularly olives, and specific products obtained

Abstract

A process and an apparatus for the processing of oil-producing drupes, notably olives, is described comprising at least one device ( 20, 24 ) for the processing of whole drupes which effects a physical destructuring with incipient detachment of the drupe pulp from the skins and stones, under conditions which substantially avoid the oxidation mainly of the pulp's natural antioxidants; at least one device ( 42, 52; 110; 120, 124, 130, 134, 160, 170 ) for the physical separation and recovery (at 100 ) of the pulp essentially devoid of stones and advantageously skins, and (at 92, 96, 110 ) of the stones essentially devoid of pulp, advantageously with the skins, ly under conditions which substantially avoid oxidation; and at least one device ( 160, 170, 172, 174 ) for the separation and recovery of the pulp oil essentially devoid of stone oil and containing the pulp's natural antioxidants, thereby improving the purity and oxidation resistance of the pulp oil.

1 - 52 . (canceled)  
     
     
         53 . A drupe product of improved purity obtained from drupes, selected from the group consisting of a drupe pulp oil essentially devoid of kernel oil; a drupe kernel oil essentially devoid of drupe pulp oil; a drupe pulp paste essentially devoid of shell wood and of kernel oil; a volatile aromatic flavouring compound recovered from the drupes essentially devoid of drupe pulp oil and of kernel oil.  
     
     
         54 . A drupe product of improved purity obtained from drupes, selected from the group consisting of a drupe pulp oil essentially devoid of kernel oil; a drupe kernel oil essentially devoid of drupe pulp oil; a drupe pulp paste essentially devoid of shell wood and of kernel oil; a volatile aromatic flavouring compound recovered from the drupes essentially devoid of drupe pulp oil and of kernel oil, said drupe product being obtainable by a process comprising the steps of: 
 a) preheating the whole drupes, comprising skins, pulp, stones comprising a shell wood containing a kernel, under controlled conditions for carrying out the controlled preheating limited to the pulp thickness including its cellular water, and under conditions which substantially avoid the oxidation of the pulp's natural antioxidants;    b) effecting a rapid or virtually instantaneous evaporation of a fraction of the preheated water contained in the pulp, favoring cellular destructuring limited to the pulp with incipient detachment of the pulp from the skins and stones, under conditions which substantially avoid the oxidation of the pulp's natural antioxidants;    c) separating and recovering the pulp resulting from the cellular destructuring due to the partial evaporation of the water, essentially devoid of stones and skins, and of the stones with the skins, essentially devoid of the pulp, respectively;    d) separating pulp oil and the destructured pulp in the form of partially deoiled puree, respectively; and    e) recovering the pulp oil essentially devoid of oil derived from the stones and skins and containing the pulp's natural antioxidants, thereby improving the oxidation resistance of said oil.    
     
     
         55 . The drupe product of  claim 54 , wherein the preheated whole drupes are transferred into an evaporation enclosure maintained at a pressure below atmospheric pressure, in which the evaporation of the fraction of the water contained in the pulp produces the cellular destructuring with incipient formation of the puree containing the oil, with cooling, and the remaining water and cellular tissues resulting from the burst or disaggregated pulp, together with the whole stones and the skins.  
     
     
         56 . The drupe product of  claim 55 , wherein the destructuring pulp and the whole stones and the skins are separated in a separator or refiner, said separator or refiner completing by means of agitation or mechanical friction, the physical refining of the cellular tissues of the pulp and the release and coalescence of the oily formations contained in the destructured pulp, and promoting completing the physical separation of the destructuring tissues of the pulp remaining on the stones.  
     
     
         57 . The drupe product of  claim 56 , wherein the separator or refiner comprises a rotary screen protected from the air.  
     
     
         58 . The drupe product of  claim 56 , wherein the separator or refiner comprises a rotary screen working under partial vacuum or an inert atmosphere.  
     
     
         59 . The drupe product of  claim 56 , wherein the pulp in the form of puree resulting from its cellular destructuring, separated from the stones and skins, is subjected to a phase separation of a solid phase, an aqueous phase, and an oily phase, to give the pulp oil which is essentially devoid of stone oil, kernel oil and skin oil.  
     
     
         60 . The drupe product of  claim 56 , wherein the stones are separated from the skins by a physical process of separation.  
     
     
         61 . The drupe product of  claim 60 , wherein said physical process of separation is selected from the group consisting of a process involving meshes of appropriate size, a process involving vibration, and a process involving ventilation.  
     
     
         62 . The drupe product of  claim 61 , wherein said physical process of separation is taking place after the stones and skins have been dried.  
     
     
         63 . The drupe product of  claim 60 , wherein the stones separated from the skins are then mechanically ground so as to separate woody shells of the stones from the kernels contained in the stones, the kernels being processed by means of an extraction system used to extract oils from the kernels under pressure, to give the kernels oil of high cosmetic and pharmaceutical value, and a press cake of high nutritional value formed by the at least partially deoiled tissues of the kernels, which are recovered.  
     
     
         64 . The drupe product of  claim 63 , wherein the cake is processed further to give an extract and the interactive principle for medicinal use.  
     
     
         65 . The drupe product of  claim 53 , wherein the oil producing drupes are selected from the group consisting of olives, oil palm drupes and avocados.  
     
     
         66 . A drupe pulp oil product of improved purity essentially devoid of stone oil contained in the kernel and which contains the natural antioxidants present in drupe oil, said drupe pulp oil having an acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of less than 1 weight % after storage for two years at ambient temperature.  
     
     
         67 . A drupe pulp oil product of improved purity essentially devoid of stone oil contained in the kernel and which contains the natural antioxidants present in drupe oil, said drupe pulp oil having an acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of less than 0.7 g/100 g of drupe oil after storage for two years at ambient temperature.  
     
     
         68 . The drupe pulp oil of  claim 67 , wherein said oil is selected from the group consisting of olive oil, palm oil, and avocado oil.  
     
     
         69 . A cosmetic composition comprising a product selected from the group consisting of the product as defined in  claim 53 .  
     
     
         70 . A cosmetic composition comprising a product selected from the group consisting of the product as defined in  claim 54 .  
     
     
         71 . A cosmetic composition comprising a product selected from the group consisting of the product as defined in  claim 66 .  
     
     
         72 . A cosmetic composition comprising a product selected from the group consisting of the product as defined in  claim 67 .  
     
     
         73 . A cosmetic composition comprising a product selected from the group consisting of the product as defined in  claim 68.