Upcycling Olive Pomace Could Open New Revenue Streams for Producers

Millions of tons of olive processing residues remain largely unused in olive mills across dozens of producing countries each year.

While a new industry is slowly gaining momentum to recover and recycle some of these byproducts, most still pose an environmental hazard and entail significant disposal costs for producers and millers.

“We are talking about millions of tons of residues produced every year in all producing countries,” Marx told Olive Oil Times. “We have a problem here and an opportunity. It’s possible to merge this problem with this opportunity.”

If successful, these efforts could create new revenue streams for producers while reducing the environmental burden associated with olive mill residues.

Olive byproducts still contain many of the compounds that make olives and olive oil nutritionally interesting, including significant concentrations of phenolic compounds, fiber, tocopherols and terpenes.

What makes the field especially intriguing is the wide range of potential applications. Work is ongoing on biorefinery processes designed to separate olive pomace into different fractions, each with possible uses across several industries.

“Current research has already produced promising prototypes, tested pilot-scale approaches and quantified the potential yields that can be obtained from olive pomace,” Marx explained.

“From a single byproduct stream, researchers can obtain antioxidant extracts that could replace synthetic additives in foods and cosmetics, olive pomace powders that may eventually be used in functional foods, lipid fractions that can be recovered and reused, dietary fiber ingredients with prebiotic potential and even exfoliating particles for cosmetic products made from olive pits,” she added.

The opportunities extend beyond food and cosmetics. Marx pointed to growing interest in premium animal feed, where olive-derived ingredients could benefit animal health and potentially influence the characteristics of products such as meat and milk.

Large pet food manufacturers are also exploring alternatives to ingredients such as palm oil and looking for scalable sources of functional lipids.

Studies have already examined the effects of olive byproducts in pig diets. “Studies suggest that incorporating olive-derived ingredients into pig diets can influence the fatty acid composition and quality characteristics of meat,” Marx noted.

Marx sees olive pomace as part of a broader movement to valorize agro-industrial byproducts, including residues from grapes, pomegranates and citrus fruits.

However, olive processing residues are particularly attractive because of their abundance and the concentration of bioactive compounds they still contain.

According to Marx, quality may become an important factor not only for olive oil itself but also for the value of its byproducts.

“In many cases, byproducts from high-quality olive oils may also retain higher concentrations of valuable bioactive compounds,” she said, suggesting that residues rich in phenolic compounds could command a premium in future supply chains.

Many promising technologies produce excellent results in laboratory settings but struggle when moved to industrial production. Olive byproducts may have an advantage in this regard because they are already generated in enormous quantities every year.

According to Marx, the challenge is no longer the availability of raw materials but rather the development of the right technologies and partnerships to bring these solutions to market.

Unlike many academic projects, Marx believes the technology is steadily moving beyond the laboratory. Research efforts are increasingly focused on pilot-scale development, prototype production and the evaluation of potential yields from olive pomace.

“The goal is to transfer the technology from science to industry,” she said.

These applications are not expected to reach all markets at the same pace. Cosmetics and animal nutrition may offer more immediate opportunities, while food and nutraceutical uses will likely require additional regulatory steps, including novel food approvals in some cases.

The next steps

One of the most important questions now facing researchers is whether the bioactive compounds recovered from olive byproducts can exert measurable health effects in humans.

Scientists are currently evaluating the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds using in vitro digestion models. If these compounds are absorbed, they may provide direct physiological benefits.

However, Marx noted that compounds that are not absorbed may still play an important role.

“Rather than being lost, they may reach the colon, where they can be metabolized by the gut microbiota,” Marx said. “Future studies will investigate whether olive pomace-derived ingredients can influence microbial populations and contribute to the production of beneficial metabolites associated with positive health effects.”

If the research delivers on its promise, materials once regarded as a disposal problem could become a source of new ingredients and new value across multiple industries.

Current olive oil research reflects a broader shift in how scientists view the sector. Increasingly, olive oil is being framed as the centerpiece of a wider system capable of generating healthier food ingredients, bioactive compounds, animal feed, cosmetic ingredients, nutraceutical products and new sources of economic value.

Ítala Marx, Ph.D., is an MSCA alumna and researcher in food chemistry and nutrition at the University of Córdoba in Spain. Her work focuses on bioactive compounds in olive oil, human health and the valorization of olive byproducts, supporting a more sustainable and circular olive sector.