Color Quality in Olive Products

Abstract

Detailed analysis of the pigments responsible for the color in the fruit of olive (Olea europaea L.) has allowed establishing indices for quality traceability of virgin olive oil and table olives. Studies on chlorophyll and carotenoid metabolism during development and ripening of different Spanish varieties have shown the existence of intervarietal metabolic differences. This knowledge allows use of these pigments as biomarkers for an integral system of traceability of the virgin olive oil, which identifies all the steps of production, i.e. cultivar, geographical origin and the extraction in the case of olive oil. Particularly interesting in the sector of the table olive has been the clarification of the kinetics and mechanisms involved in the pigment transformation that occurs during fermentation. Based on this we have discovered the multifactor system leading to the insertion of endogenous copper fruit in the chlorophyll molecule, visualized as a superficial alteration known as green-staining.