Cold-Pressed Olive Oil

Cold-pressed olive oil is one of the most common quality phrases on olive oil bottles. It signals low temperature during extraction, which can help preserve taste, aroma and sensitive compounds.

But the phrase is often used loosely. For premium oil, the important question is not only whether the oil is cold-pressed, but how quickly the olives were processed, what raw material was used and whether the quality can be documented.

What does cold-pressed mean?

In the EU, terms such as cold pressed and cold extraction may be used when the oil has been obtained at no more than 27 °C. The temperature limit matters because heat can affect the oil's volatile aroma compounds and phenolic profile.

Historically, cold pressed referred to traditional pressing with mechanical presses. In modern mills, centrifugation is often used instead, making "cold extraction" the more accurate term.

Consumers often use "cold pressed" as a general phrase. That is understandable, but technically the distinction is worth knowing.

Cold pressed and cold extraction are not the same

Cold pressed describes pressing. Cold extraction describes extraction using modern systems, often centrifugation, with controlled temperature.

Both terms can be relevant if the temperature requirement is met. But neither term by itself means the oil is high in polyphenols, fresh or sensorially excellent.

That is why Vala Selection prefers to talk about the whole chain: early harvest, fast transport to the mill, low temperature, traceable batch and analysis.

Why 27 °C matters

Low temperature helps preserve the oil's natural expression. Aroma compounds, bitterness, pepperiness and phenolic compounds are affected by how the olives are handled during milling and extraction.

Higher temperature can increase oil yield, but it may reduce the finer sensory qualities of the oil. In premium production, the goal is therefore not maximum volume, but maximum quality in the finished oil.

Low temperature is a quality signal, but it is not proof by itself.

What happens before extraction matters just as much

Cold extraction cannot rescue poor raw material. If olives are overripe, damaged or left waiting too long after harvest, oxidation and degradation begin before they reach the mill.

This is why the time between harvest and milling is central. The shorter the time, the better the conditions for fresh flavour, low defect risk and preserved phenolic structure.

For Vala Selection, the goal is for olives to reach the mill within 24 hours. That is a practical quality principle, not just a marketing phrase.

Is cold pressed enough to judge quality?

No. Cold pressed or cold extraction is an important part of the process, but real quality requires more answers.

Look especially at:

whether the oil is extra virgin olive oil
how quickly the olives were processed after harvest
whether the oil has clear fruitiness and no defects
whether polyphenol content is documented
whether the analysis is connected to a batch
how the oil is stored and bottled

Low temperature without good raw material does not make a great oil. A good extra virgin olive oil is built across the whole chain.

The connection to polyphenols

Polyphenols are sensitive to raw material, harvest timing, oxygen, temperature and time. Low temperature can help preserve them, but it does not create high polyphenol content on its own.

High-polyphenolic olive oil often requires early harvest, healthy olives, rapid milling and careful handling. HPLC analysis makes it possible to verify the level in a specific batch.

This is also why a term such as "cold pressed" should be treated as process information, while polyphenol content and HPLC are documentation.

How Vala Selection works

Vala Selection CORE and PRE-HARVEST are built around cold extraction at low temperature, but that is only one part of the quality model. Origin, cultivar selection, early harvest, short time to mill and batch-level analysis are just as important.

For the customer, this means "cold pressed" should not stand alone. It should be supported by taste, traceability and data.