Testing Extra Virgin vs Pomace Olive Oil

Well my next experiment is about two versions of Olive Oil:

Extra Virgin (~6Euro / litre) [infused with paprika]
Pomace (~3Euro / litre)


and the recipe was:

40% Olive Virgin [infused with paprika] / Pomace
25% Palm
20% Coconut Oil
10% Shea
5% Castor Oil

with 33% lye concentration, 3% lye discount and with salt 3%, Sugar 5% (first time that much, like IrishLass do, as I always used so far 3%), Sodium Citrate 3%, FO Green Apple 3% (not accelerating) and CPOP for 5min @ 60°C (140°F) in the same wooden mold.



I made these two versions at the same time. Made the lye solution, and melted all the oils of the two batches at the same time in the oven.

Because of the fact that I didn't have much time ahead, I mixed lye and oils in high temperature as I didn't wait long enough for the lye solution to cool down. So when I insert all the lye into the oils the temperature of both were at 55°C (131°F).

I stirred them with a spatula first, but then I gave very few bursts with the Stick Blender. The main behavior difference the two batches had, was that the Pomace version came more quickly at trace, maybe because it had more free fatty acids.

I used the SB for around 2 sec in Pomace while the EVO was SBed for 4-5sec total. Pomace actually created tiny bubbles all over the soap mixture just when it started reaching trace (I don't think that it was the stick blender that created them), so I guess it was for the rapid exothermic reaction. It seemed somehow that it started to passing the gel phase right in the pot...

One other difference the two versions had, was that when I was able to unmold and cut them in 18 hours after all the above, the Pomace version was cracking with my knife (I don't have a wire cutter yet). So I had to put the remaining uncut soap loaf in the oven at 80°C (176°F) for ~15min and then I was able to cut it without problem as it was a bit softer.




So I guess the Pomace version came out much harder than EVO as it might reached a higher peak temperature (because of acceleration) and thus it maybe made a much more crystallized form of soap along with maybe evaporating a bit more of its moisture because of the heat.




Overall I guess they will be the same as they have extremely similar FA profiles (based in the nutrition facts of the two olive oils). In two months from now I will evaluate them.

Thats interesting to know! And I am reassured by the nice white colour of the bar too, I'd been afraid pomice would come to a green tint. Looking forward to hearing about how they perform.

The Pomace I used in this recipe was bought from a supermarket and the label says that it is oil extracted from the olive's kernel mixed with olive oil (of unknown quality). It has a yellowish color and it has nothing similar with the raw Pomace Olive Oil I used in my previous experiment that has not been filtered with chemical solvents and has a lot of chlorophyll which gives an olive-green color ---> http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=550392&postcount=1

I got the raw Pomace Olive Oil from a friend that produces Olive Oil. I don't think someone can find raw Pomace in the market...

Isn't the definition of pomace chemically extracted oil from Olive pulp and leftovers?

penelopejane said:

Isn't the definition of pomace chemically extracted oil from Olive pulp and leftovers?

Click to expand...

Yes that is correct.

ngian said:

The Pomace I used in this recipe was bought from a supermarket and the label says that it is oil extracted from the olive's kernel mixed with olive oil (of unknown quality). It has a yellowish color and it has nothing similar with the raw Pomace Olive Oil I used in my previous experiment that has not been filtered with chemical solvents and has a lot of chlorophyll which gives an olive-green color ---> http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=550392&postcount=1

I got the raw Pomace Olive Oil from a friend that produces Olive Oil. I don't think someone can find raw Pomace in the market...

Click to expand...

That does actually make sene, and that is the picture I recall of pomace olive oil soap. Thank you for clarifying!

Well after 3 months, I finally tried these two bars, and as I was expecting, these soaps has no difference in their behavior while bathing and in the quality of their bubbly property. They give exactly the same feeling on my skin.

The only thing that they have different is that in the soapmaking procedure, pomace traces somehow a little faster as it has a higher acidity value (more free fatty acids) and the soap batter gets a higher temperature during saponification.This can make the soap to reach gel phase easier and make it harder faster so as to unmold and cut sooner.

Pomace is a much cheaper option where I live (50% cheaper that EVOO) but it also has some amount of chemical solvents that are needed for its extraction from the pulp, but I guess it is a nice option if someone wants to cut down on expenses for soap production.

thank you for this!
I've always wanted to compare the feel of OO and OOPomace.

However, my main concern is the use of chemicals to extract the oil. While it's very possible that there is no trace of chemical left and/or any chemical residue has no impact on the skin, I'd rather stick with cold-pressed olive oil and have a higher soap-making cost.

That being said, who knows if the batch of olive oil in my stockroom is actually 100% olive oil - I hear stories about how a lot of OO is actually a mix of oils unbeknownst to the consumer - but that's another discussion for another time!

I too have experienced much faster trace with pomace oil in place of evo or oo. I just use the stick blender much less, maybe just a couple of bursts & then stir for a few minutes just to be able to work with it. It really helps to stir more than stick blend.

Very interesting. I know 3 years later. Glad it stayed up. I've been wanting to do the same experiment. My Pomace is green from Soapers Choice.