Fluid dynamic-based Engineering design of a Full-Scale Device for the improvement of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Yield and Quality by means of Combined Acoustic Cavitation and Thermal Conditioning

Abstract

After some hesitations, the scientific community is jointly converging on the benefits due to the ultrasound treatment by means of mechanical effects generated by acoustic cavitation phenomena occurring into the olive oil paste proposed initially by Amirante and Clodoveo. In recent works, many authors have now confirmed that this promising emerging technology produces relevant beneficial effects if applied to the extraction process under well-controlled conditions. In the last years, the industrial applications of ultrasound (US) in the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) extraction process are changing the paradigm of the knowledge in this field of interest due to a great effort of the research activity. In the present work, the design of the device by means a Three-Dimensional (3D) Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis was performed, which describes the ultrasound effects in the olive paste, necessary to control the US waves propagation. Thus, fluid dynamic analysis allowed to predict the flow path in the ultrasound devices, to evaluate the flow parameters of the olive paste inside the SHE and the cavitation phenomenon, with the aim to find an optimal design, capable to ensure the best ultrasounds and mixing effects. Moreover, experimental results demonstrated that the machine can guarantee an actual simultaneous improvement of the olive oil extraction yield, as well as of the product quality. Finally, the results from sensory evaluations are summarized confirming the goodness of EVOO obtained by means of US.

Olive Sound: A Sustainable Radical Innovation

“…In order for this phase to be compatible with the timing of the project, the University of Bari made use of the technical-scientific collaboration of the Polytechnic of Bari, in particular of Prof. Amirante, to benefit from the support of numerical simulation [27,28]. Numerical simulation is an indispensable tool for reducing the time to market necessary for the final product because it is an approach capable of determining a rapid orientation of the design towards the optimal design, as well as reducing design costs, including the number of prototypes and experimental tests to be performed [29].…”