## 1 Introduction  
Data reported by FAOSTAT show that between 2017 and 2021, global olive oil production increased by 0.2 million tons, reaching 3.3 million tons in 2021, with Spain the main contributor with a share of around 44%. The European Union's (EU) contribution will be around 71% in 2021, with Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal being the largest contributors [1]. In the same period, olive fruit production in the EU has gained importance, with an increase in harvested area and production of around 0.1 million ha and 2.1 million tons, reaching 5.0 million ha and 15.0 million tons in 2021, respectively [1]. The main olive varieties used in olive oil plant production in Portugal, mentioned in order of predominance, are \"Galega Vulgar\", \"Cobrancosa\", \"Cordovil de Serpa\", and \"Arroniz\". These plantsare constrained to operate within the 2- to 3-month olive harvest period in autumn. In terms of production, small enterprises run with throughputs ranging from 0.4 to 2 tons/h of olive paste, and medium to large plants operate with throughputs ranging from 2 to 12 tons/h [2]. On the other hand, in 2022, the global olive oil market was valued at USD 14.2 billion. Projections from 2023 to 2030 forecast a growth of USD 14.6 billion to USD 18.4 billion, respectively. The growth this market is experiencing is due to increasing demand for olive oil across the food service and retail channels, in addition to the interest in trying out exotic cuisines where the popularity of _Olea europaea_ fruit oil has been standing out by its health benefits, namely, the virgin oil segment [3]. In this context, olive oil extraction processes are continuously gaining relevance. The traditional olive oil extraction process essentially involves (i) the crushing of olive fruit to break plant tissues and allow oil release; (ii) the malaxation phase of the olive paste (at vacuum or not) is carried out by continuous agitation to induce the oil drop coalescence phenomena (typically \(<\) 25 RPM, \(<\)30 \({}^{\circ}\)C, \(<\)1 h); and lastly (iii) the mechanical recovery of the oil by centrifugation or pressing. Then, the olive oil obtained is usually filtered or decanted to remove any possible solid residues prior to bottling [2,4]. The improvements in the yield of olive oil extraction are focused on malaxation, where time and temperature increase play the main role. However, this may also have a negative impact on the sensorial and quality parameters of olive oil [5] since the predominant reactions in this stage seem to be chemical oxidation reactions, which are favored by the incorporation of oxygen into the olive paste [6]. To overcome the drawbacks of the traditional process, important research efforts are being devoted to finding non-thermal innovative physical techniques to enhance olive oil production, such as ultrasound, microwave, and Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) [5]. PEF is a non-thermal technology based on pulsed power that promotes cell electroporation by gently opening pores in the cell membrane using precise, targeted, and short-time electrical pulses [7]. For this, the food matrix is placed between or pumped through two electrodes. The main components of a system for the application of PEF are the pulse generator and the treatment chamber, and the main parameters are electric field strength and specific energy [8]. Olive oil extraction assisted by PEF (after crushing or malaxation) has shown great efficiency in improving it by accelerating malaxation time while guaranteeing the EU legal standards of the highest quality olive oil. On the other hand, PEF is an interesting technology thanks to its incorporation into traditional processing lines, which is easy, more cost-effective, and eco-friendly [9]. Nevertheless, it is necessary to carry out more pilot-scale studies to confirm the promisor's results obtained for extraction assisted by PEF on a lab scale [10].