Technologies and Trends to Improve Table Olive Quality and Safety.

Roberta Comunian,Nurcan Değirmencioğlu,Marco Campus

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.00617

Roberta Comunian, Nurcan Değirmencioğlu + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00617

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Abstract

Table olives are the most widely consumed fermented food in the Mediterranean countries. Peculiar processing technologies are used to process olives, which are aimed at the debittering of the fruits and improvement of their sensory characteristics, ensuring safety of consumption at the same time. Processors demand for novel techniques to improve industrial performances, while consumers' attention for natural and healthy foods has increased in recent years. From field to table, new techniques have been developed to decrease microbial load of potential spoilage microorganisms, improve fermentation kinetics and ensure safety of consumption of the packed products. This review article depicts current technologies and recent advances in the processing technology of table olives. Attention has been paid on pre processing technologies, some of which are still under-researched, expecially physical techniques, such ad ionizing radiations, ultrasounds and electrolyzed water solutions, which are interesting also to ensure pesticide decontamination. The selections and use of starter cultures have been extensively reviewed, particularly the characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeasts to fasten and safely drive the fermentation process. The selection and use of probiotic strains to address the request for functional foods has been reported, along with salt reduction strategies to address health concerns, associated with table olives consumption. In this respect, probiotics enriched table olives and strategies to reduce sodium intake are the main topics discussed. New processing technologies and post packaging interventions to extend the shelf life are illustrated, and main findings in modified atmosphere packaging, high pressure processing and biopreservaton applied to table olive, are reported and discussed.

Highlights

Table olives, which are the most widespread fermented vegetables in the Mediterranean countries, have a great economic significance as a food commodity
Innovative, mild non-thermal technologies have been developed in recent years, and some have been studied in table olives to preserve the natural features of the products to a high extent while reducing spoilage and pathogenic microrganisms (Abriouel et al, 2014; Argyri et al, 2014b)
The authors attempted to develop a simple UV immersion system (200– 280 nm, 150 W) to reduce the amount of pesticides in virgin olive oil depending on the treatment time and temperature (15, 20, 25, and 30◦C). While these results indicated the possibility of using UV light as an effective, low-cost process for the destruction of pesticides in olive oil and in table olives, no further progress has been reported in this regard

Summary

Introduction

Table olives, which are the most widespread fermented vegetables in the Mediterranean countries, have a great economic significance as a food commodity. From the point of harvesting, a number of pre-processing steps must be carried out to clean the surface of the fruits from soil particles, New Technologies for Table Olives reduce microbial load, and pesticide residues. The most significant advances in table olive processing are represented by the selection of bacteria and yeasts with positive technological traits (Arroyo-López et al, 2012b; Corsetti et al, 2012). In this respect, starter cultures are being presented to the market to enhance fermentation performances. Starting with the state of the art of technology, the paper will focus on pre-processing technologies, biotechnological innovations, with particular emphasis in the selection and use of microbial starters and probiotics, new processing technologies and processing plants, while the final part will describe innovative post processing preservation techniques

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