Abstract
In the present work, the effects of different drying and brining treatments on pigmented Biancolilla olives were evaluated. The olive cultivar considered is typical of Sicily and was harvested at pigmented state. The carpological data revealed its good quality as table olives. A preliminary fermentation in brine was applied to the samples. Half of the samples were dried whereas the remaining olives were subjected to three different lye treatments and oxidation steps. After washing, the olives were stored according to a natural fermentation or drying process with or without a pretreatment of iron gluconate. The fermentation and oxidation steps conditioned the hygienic characteristics of the final product affecting the pH value of the brine. The use of iron salt for improving the darkening rate of processed olives influenced the color parameters as expected. The oxidation and the addition of iron salt affected the texture of dried olives making them softer than those directly dried. The results suggest that the Biancolilla cultivar is suitable for fermentation in brine without any previous treatment such as oxidation.
Highlights
The three main techniques for table olive treatment used in Italy concern 82% green olives, 16% black olives and 2% processed at the cherry ripened stage (UNAPROL, 2008)
The aim of this work was to evaluate the aptitude of the Biancolilla olive cultivar to several processes typically applied to black olives
The addition of iron salt showed a slight influence on L*, a* and b* parameters, while this salt clearly influenced the chroma of the A and B samples, affecting the intensity of the color with significant differences
Summary
The three main techniques for table olive treatment used in Italy concern 82% green olives, 16% black olives and 2% processed at the cherry ripened stage (UNAPROL, 2008). The black olives are mainly processed according to the California method or the Greek method (Marsilio, 1993). The Californian method includes lye treatment, washing, iron-salt treatment and air-oxidation, washing, canning and sterilization (Marsilio et al, 2001). The Greek style is milder and includes washing, natural fermentation in brine, air-oxidation for color improvement, sizing and packing (Piga et al, 2001). The phenolic fraction of table olives is very complex and can vary both in the quality and quantity of phenolic compounds (Uccella, 2001)
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