Abstract
The role of lactic acid bacteria for a correct course of fermentation of table olives has been extensively reviewed and it is a common idea that the inoculum of selected strains could exert a strong benefit for product quality; however, the basic assumption of this research is that a not-correct preparation of starter could affect its performances in brines and delay the benefit of a starter inoculum. Thus, some selected strains of LAB (lactic acid bacteria) and yeasts were inoculated into brines of Bella di Cerignola olives (Spanish style), as a single starter (LAB or yeasts) or a combined preparation (LAB + yeasts) and compared to a natural fermentation, focusing on the performances of the process (acidification, production of lactic acid) and trying to verify the basic assumption. LAB and yeasts were grown in the opportune lab media and then directly inoculated in brine after the lye treatment. LAB exerts a kind of benefit (increased content of lactic acid) only for 2 - 3 weeks; then, the inoculated samples behave in the same way as not-inoculated ones. Thus, this research underlined that a starter culture, not prepared in the correct way, could not be useful to guide the fermentation.
Highlights
Fermentation of table olives starts spontaneously and is strongly influenced by olive cultivar, indigenous microbiota and methodological factors, such as temperature and salt concentration in the brine [1].olive fermentation relies on a complex microbiota, including Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria and other genera of Gram positive microorganisms and yeasts; the traditional fermentations are usually based on the maintenance of this association [2].In a natural olive fermentation after an initial stage, characterised by the growth of Gram negative bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts coexist until the end of fermentation; in particular, in Bella di Cerignola olives, yeasts were found at concentrations of approximately 5 6 log·cfu/g on olives and 6 log·cfu/ml in the brines [3,4]
The role of lactic acid bacteria for a correct course of fermentation of table olives has been extensively reviewed and it is a common idea that the inoculum of selected strains could exert a strong benefit for product quality; the basic assumption of this research is that a not-correct preparation of starter could affect its performances in brines and delay the benefit of a starter inoculum
Some selected strains of LAB and yeasts were inoculated into brines of Bella di Cerignola olives (Spanish style), as a single starter (LAB or yeasts) or a combined preparation (LAB + yeasts) and compared to a natural fermentation, focusing on the performances of the process and trying to verify the basic assumption
Summary
Fermentation of table olives starts spontaneously and is strongly influenced by olive cultivar, indigenous microbiota and methodological factors, such as temperature and salt concentration in the brine [1].olive fermentation relies on a complex microbiota, including Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria and other genera of Gram positive microorganisms and yeasts; the traditional fermentations are usually based on the maintenance of this association [2].In a natural olive fermentation after an initial stage, characterised by the growth of Gram negative bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts coexist until the end of fermentation; in particular, in Bella di Cerignola olives, yeasts were found at concentrations of approximately 5 6 log·cfu/g on olives and 6 log·cfu/ml in the brines [3,4]. Olive fermentation relies on a complex microbiota, including Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria and other genera of Gram positive microorganisms and yeasts; the traditional fermentations are usually based on the maintenance of this association [2]. The role of lactic acid bacteria for a correct course of fermentation of table olives has been extensively reviewed and it is a common idea that the inoculum of selected strains could exert a strong benefit for product quality [2]. For a better course of the process and to control naturally occurring microflora, many authors recommended the inoculation of brine with commercial strains; the use of suitable Lactobacillus plantarum starter cultures has the potential to improve the microbiological control of the process, increase the lactic acid yield and, provide the production of Spanish-style fermented green olives of consistently high quality [6]. Some authors proposed a mixed starter, containing a combination of LAB and yeasts [4]
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