Olive Harvesting Research Articles

Effect of postharvest treatments of mechanically harvested 'Manzanilla' table olives on product quality

'Manzanilla', today's main table olive cultivar, is traditionally harvested manually. However, manual harvesting is becoming less economically feasible due to increasing labor costs and a shortage of workers. Consequently, we examined options for mechanical harvesting of these table olives. The 'Manzanilla' fruit skin is sensitive to bruising and damage caused by mechanical harvesting. Therefore, postharvest field (PHF) treatments were studied, to reduce the percentage of damaged fruit in the final product. The effect of PHF treatments on final product quality of mechanically harvested 'Manzanilla' table olives was studied over 6 consecutive years (2011–2016). In the first part of the study (2011–2013), a wide range of treatments was tested in 2 L containers; the most promising one seemed to be immersing the fruit in a 1 % NaOH solution immediately after harvest. Later in the study, this treatment was also tested in commercial-scale containers, with acceptable results, although there was a certain variability between years and even between different olive batches in the same year. Although the grower wishing to apply such a treatment is faced with a certain logistical challenge, it allows for the possibility of applying mechanical harvesting to 'Manzanilla', a procedure which, until now, has been considered unsuitable for this table olive cultivar.

ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY POTENTIALOF OLIVE LEAVES

Olive tree is one of the most important fruit trees because of its content of many potentially bioactive compounds and represent waste products from olive harvest and pruning of olive trees. However, the content of these compounds can differ between cultivars. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of three olive leaves cultivars (Picual, Shemlali and Tofahy) commonly cultivated in Egypt. Furthermore, determine their cytotoxicity for safety use in food applications. Three olive leaves cultivars were extracted with water and yield of extract was determined in each cultivar, the antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of 7 pathogenic bacteria, 1 yeast and 2 fungi species were determined. Of all the extracts tested, Picual had the highest content of each of phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (114.79±4.19 µg GAE/mg,118.69±2.07 µg CE/g extract, respectively) and exhibited strong antioxidant potential in scavenging DPPH. Antibacterial potential method was against Escherichia coli ATCC25922, Escherichia coli BA12296,Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC12296, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcusaureus EMCC1351, Streptococcus mutans EMCC1815, Bacilluscereus EMCC1006, ClostridiumperfringensEMCC1574. Antifungal activities of: Aspergillusniger EMCC72, AspergillusparasiticusEMCC886T and Candidaalbicans EMCC15, were evaluated and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of all cultivars values for bacteria and yeast ranged from 12.5 to 100 mg/ml. The extracts from Picual, Tofahy and Shemlali of 5µg/ml had the highest anti-inflammatory effect. Cytotoxicity results indicated high safety use of the three olive leaves cultivars. Theresults confirmed convenient and safe use of extracts of three olive leaves cultivars as natural antimicrobial and antioxidant.

Olive Oil Ripping Time Prediction Model based on Image Processing and Neural Network

The agriculture sector in Jordan depends very much on planting the olive trees. More than ten million of olive trees are planted in the Jordanian soil. Olive fruit are harvested for two purposes; either to produce oil or to produce olive table (pickled olive). Olive fruit harvesting time for extracting the oil from the olive fruit is crucial. Hence, harvesting the olive fruit on ripping time gives the best amount and quality of oil. It also, could lose 15% to 20% of multiple values because of harvesting time. Olive fruit ripping time is varied since it depends on the rainfall, temperature and cultivation. A system to predict the optimal time for harvesting olive fruit for producing oil only is introduced. It based one Digital Image Processing (DIP) and artificial intelligent neural network. Moreover, four features were extracted from the olive fruit image based on the red, green and blue colors. The proposed system tested olive fruits in three stages of ripping time; under ripping, on ripping and over ripping. The classification accuracy achieved in the three stages was 97.51% in under ripping stage 95.10% in ripping stage, and 96.12% in over ripping stage. The proposed system performance was 96.14%.

Movilidad itinerante y entornos construidos

Durante cuatro meses al año la ciudad de Pomán, provincia de Catamarca -Argentina-, experimenta la llegada de trabajadores migrantes para la cosecha del olivo. La ley Nacionalde Desarrollo Económico Nº 22.021 y su modificatoria 22.702 impulsaron esta actividad transformando los espacios productivos y sociales. Se estima que entre febrero y mayo lapoblación presenta un crecimiento demográfico de alrededor del 30%. Este artículo analiza qué problemas enfrenta la ciudad frente a esta movilidad itinerante y qué tipo de entornos se construyen a partir de la sociabilidad entre los migrantes y los habitantes locales. Para esto se analizan los espacios de la residencia migrante y su forma de habitarlos; laorganización material de la ciudad durante la migración (salud, educación y economía) y la producción de sociabilidad como elemento legitimador de este tipo de movilidad. El trabajo se basa en un estudio cualitativo con entrevistas en profundidad a diferentes actores locales y migrantes durante la época de la migración. Entre los principales resultados se destaca laausencia de políticas públicas para sostener los procesos de movilidad, la producción de una economía migrante a nivel local y la instauración de eventos simbólicos a favor de laestabilidad de esta itinerancia.

SOME PROPERTIES OF OLIVE WOOD GROWN IN AYDIN AND KAHRAMANMARAŞ REGIONS

Son yıllarda hızla artan yapılaşma nedeniyle kesilen meyve ağaçlarının ve budama atıklarının yakacak yerine orman ürünleri sektöründe değerlendirilmesine yönelik çalışmalar artmıştır. Türkiye, zeytin hasat alanı bakımından Dünya’da 6. sırada yer almaktadır. Geniş zeytin alanlarına sahip Aydın ve Kahramanmaraş’ta yeni başlayan bir inşaatın, şantiye sahasından kesilen zeytin (OIea europaea L.) ağaç gövde odunlarının kimyasal, morfolojik ve fiziksel özellikleri belirlenerek, karşılaştırma yapılmıştır. Holoselüloz, α-selüloz, lignin, alkol-benzen çözünürlüğü, sıcak su çözünürlüğü, soğuk su çözünürlüğü, %1 NaOH çözünürlüğü ve kül miktarı sırasıyla Aydın örneklerinde %70.4, %39.8, %23.0, %4.88, %12.5, %11.0, %20.4, %1.15 ve K.Maraş odunlarında ise %58.6, %36.0, %25.3, %17.0, %20.7, %15.9, %28.3 ve %0.79 tespit edilmiştir. Morfolojik özellikleri olarak zeytin ağaç liflerinin uzunluğu, genişliği, çeper kalınlığı ve lümen çapı belirlenmiştir. Bu değerler sırasıyla Aydın’dan alınan örneklerde 0.83 mm, 15.8 µm, 4.32 µm, 11.5 µm ve K.Maraş odunlarında ise 0.78 mm, 12.3 µm, 4.12 µm, 8.17 µm’dir. Zeytin ağaç odunlarının hava kurusu yoğunluğu (D12) 0.88 g/cm3, tam kuru yoğunluğu (Do) 0.78 g/cm3, hacim yoğunluk değeri (R) 0.70 g/cm3, hacimsel daralma (βv) %9.16-10.68, hacimsel genişleme (αv) 10.1-10.9, lif doygunluk noktası (LDN) %13.1-15.6 ve maksimum rutubet içeriği (MMC) %75.3-77.1 olarak tespit edilmiştir.

Harvesting system sustainability in Mediterranean olive cultivation: Other principal cultivar

In the olive production sector, which is increasingly expanding beyond the borders of the Mediterranean basin, harvesting is the most demanding phase, from both an economic and organisational point of view. Traditional olive orchards are still predominant, with centuries-old and large plants, and are characterised by the gradual ripening of drupes and irregular planting patterns. Even though the structural conversion of these olive orchards into more modern cultivations may be difficult owing to their historical, monumental, and landscaping importance, as well as the existing legal restrictions, supporting a “modernisation” process aimed at mechanising the main farming operations remains a priority. Technological innovation is, therefore, a primary objective for Mediterranean olive growing, as well as for the enhancement of its strengths. The present study aimed at assessing different olive harvesting sites, considering the technical, economic, and environmental aspects, to develop a better version of the “olive harvesting database”. The applied methodology, also called the “modular approach”, represents a useful tool to apply in unitary process assessment to obtain a comprehensive database of diverse agricultural operations. Eight olive harvesting systems were compared: six highly mechanised scenarios, one based on mechanical-aided harvesting, and the final one based on fully manual harvesting. The mechanised systems obtained a better performance in terms of working capacity, as only 3.5 h ha−1 were needed to harvest 12 t using a self-propelled trunk shaker. In addition, the economic results revealed that mechanical harvesting, diversely from manual or aided harvesting, is the only way to decrease production costs. From an environmental point of view, manual and mechanical-aided harvesting showed the best performance in terms of impact per hour. However, using the mass-based unit (1 kg of harvested olives), the results were the opposite and this could be very relevant for the ecoprofile of olive oil.

Manufacturing and performance evaluation of a tractor-mounted olive harvesting machine

Manufacturing and performance evaluation of a tractor-mounted olive harvesting machine

Evolution of physicochemical constitution and cultivar-differential maturity configuration in olive (Olea europaea L.) fruit

Analytical characterization of the ripening process is prerequisite to establishing cultivar-specific harvest maturity windows and safeguarding the quality of olive products. In this context, we profiled the ripening of select Cypriot olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars ‘Ladoelia’, ‘Kato Drys’ and ‘Korakou’ juxtaposed against introduced ‘Koroneiki’. Fruit skin and flesh color-based maturity index (MI) evolved linearly over time but differentially among local cultivars. Anthocyanin content exhibited better correspondence to MI with progressive maturity. Cultivars varied widely in their sugar content (60.2–180.9 mg g−1 dw) and their fructose/glucose ratio, which impacted their relative sweetness. Putative connection of declining mannitol levels with oleogenesis during ripening was not supported by ‘Korakou’, wherein mannitol declined without concomitant oil accumulation. However, fruit firmness correlated negatively with oil content prompting harvest of table olives before oil peak. Succinic and oxalic acid levels may constitute valuable cultivar signature traits. Decline pattern in total phenolic content (TPC) during ripening was cultivar-specific, with oleuropein, rutin and hydroxytyrosol constituting the major constituents in diminishing abundance. No cultivar differences were observed in rutin content, while hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol levels were independent of maturity. At MI3, ‘Ladoelia’ had higher total phenolic content (TPC) than ‘Korakou’ and ‘Kato Drys’ but inferior to ‘Koroneiki’ (12.3, 9.9, 2.5 and 20.4 g kg-1 dw, respectively). Oleuropein relative content in ‘Ladoelia’ (85.6 %TPC) was higher than ‘Kato Drys’ (63.6 %TPC) and ‘Korakou’ (59.2 %TPC). ‘Ladoelia’ exhibited superior but maturity-dependent phenolic acids content. Our results corroborate a cultivar-specific application of MI supported by additional physicochemical parameters of maturity. The current findings may facilitate cultivar and product-specific integrative harvest maturity indices, which are especially critical for dual purpose large-fruited cultivars.

Antibacterial finishing of cotton fabrics by dyeing with olive tree leaves fallen during olive harvesting

The study was focused on the usability of olive tree leaves fallen during olive harvesting in dyeing and antibacterial finishing of cotton fabrics for cleaner production. Valorizing these waste (olive tree leaves) obtained during harvesting and using them in textile treatment processes would ensure a cleaner and more sustainable production. For this aim, olive tree leaves were subjected to an extraction process before their use in dyeing as well as directly use without any previous extraction. Six mordanting agents were also tested. Dyeing was done at two different temperatures (80°C and 100°C), and the liquor ratio was 1:60. First, the treated samples were tested for fastness and color variety. It was observed that sufficient fastness and color variety can be produced by using olive tree leaves with or without mordanting agents. Antibacterial tests were also conducted for samples dyed without mordanting agents. The antibacterial effects of mordants were also tested. The samples were tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It was found that mordanting agents provide significant antibacterial efficiency against both tested bacteria and minimum of 90% bacterial reduction was observed. Using olive tree leaves without any mordants also demonstrated antibacterial efficiency and better bacterial reductions were observed for both bacterial species in dyeings at 80°C. The reason of antibacterial efficiency caused by the olive tree leaves were investigated by ICP-MS analysis. Addition to the oleuropein content of the extract, the elements detected by ICP-MS assumed as responsible for the bacterial reduction.

A Full Technological Traceability System for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The traceability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) could guarantee the authenticity of the product and the protection of the consumer if it is part of a system able to certify the traceability information. The purpose of this paper was to propose and apply a complete electronic traceability prototype along the entire EVOO production chain of a small Italian farm and to verify its economic sustainability. The full traceability of the EVOO extracted from 33 olive trees from three different cultivars (Carboncella, Frantoio and Leccino) was considered. The technological traceability system (TTS; infotracing) consists of several open source devices (based on radio frequency identification (RFID) and QR code technologies) able to track the EVOO from the standing olive tree to the final consumer. The infotracing system was composed of a dedicated open source app and was designed for easy blockchain integration. In addition, an economic analysis of the proposed TTS, with reference to the semi-mechanized olive harvesting process, was conducted. The results showed that the incidence of the TTS application on the whole production varies between 3% and 15.5%, (production from 5 to 60 kg tree−1). The application at the consortium level with mechanized harvesting is fully sustainable in economic terms. The proposed TTS could not only provide guarantees to the final consumer but could also direct the farmer towards precision farming management.

Impacts of Array Orientation and Tilt Angles for Photovoltaic Self-Sufficiency and Self-Consumption Indices in Olive Mills in Spain

Olive mills are extensive in the Mediterranean Basin, and Spain constitutes approximately 45% of global production. The industrial sector faces a new energetic paradigm where distributed generation provided by small renewable energy sources may reduce the dependence from fossil energy sources as well as avoid energy distribution losses. Photovoltaic self-consumption systems can play an important role in confronting this challenge due to their modularity and their decreasing cost. Most of self-sufficiency energy studies are focused on building sector and discussions about the idiosyncrasy of industrial load profiles, and their matching capability with photovoltaic generation profiles can be scarcely found. This work analyzes the potential of photovoltaic self-consumption systems as a function of the array power, array tilt, and orientation angles to face the electric consumption in olive mills. Different recording intervals and reporting periods are considered. Results show that a self-sufficiency index of 40% may be achieved on olive harvest basis. Moreover, due to the load profile particularities, percentage error lower than 1.6% has been found when considering a recording interval of 60 min when matching the olive load consumption and photovoltaic generation profiles. Chosen array tilt and orientation angles may be key parameters to maximize the self-sufficiency index.

Harvesting system and fruit storage affect basic quality parameters and phenolic and volatile compounds of oils from intensive and super-intensive olive orchards

This study evaluated the effects of different olive harvesting systems and fruit storage durations on quality of oils from both super-intensive (cv. Arbequina) and intensive (cv. Frantoio) olive groves. Four harvesting systems were used: gentle manual harvesting, manual harvesting with hand-held combs, facilitated harvesting with hand-held pneumatic combs, and mechanical harvesting with a straddle machine (in super-intensive grove) or a trunk shaker + reversed umbrella (in intensive grove). Gentle hand harvesting caused the least damage to the fruits, whereas the trunk shaker and the straddle machine caused the greatest damage. The damage increased with olive storage. Total polyphenols and single secoiridoid were all negatively correlated with the degree of fruit damage. Volatile compounds (aldehydes, alcohols, esters and ketones) were strongly affected by both the harvesting system and the olive storage. In both cultivars, increasing the mechanization level (from gentle hand harvest to the straddle machine or the trunk shaker) caused a decrease of total aldehydes and total esters, and an increase of total alcohols and total ketones. Moreover, there were negative relationships between the degree of fruit damage and the total C5 and C6 aldehydes and total esters and positive relationships between the degree of fruit damage and the total ketones. Overall, the results indicate that fruit damage explains most of the worsening of oil quality across harvesting systems and storage duration. This is the first study reporting a clear quantitative/linear correlation between fruit damage and important components of oil quality, such as polyphenols and volatile compounds deriving from the lipoxygenase pathway.

Using Geographic Information Systems to Produce Maps of The Water Cost of Olives in Jordan for The 2020-2019 Water Year

The study aims to employ geographic information systems to produce maps of the water cost of the olive harvest in Jordan for the water year 2019-2020 through the concepts of water consumption: (Reference Evapotranspiration, Crop Evapotranspiration, Water Requirement, virtual water, net water consumption, actual water demand. Virtual water trade) by following the FAO56 method, based on the climatic data of a group of climatic stations distributed throughout the Kingdom and the yield and productivity factors, by using the cartographic criteria necessary to produce digital maps to express the true reality of water consumption of the olive crop. The Reference Evapotranspiration accumulation rate was estimated at 1688 mm, and the values ranged between (lowest value 1129 mm and highest value 2222) mm. The average water requirements for each dunum of olive cultivated was estimated 923 m3 of water, and the values ranged between (the lowest value 621 and the highest value 1227) m3 / dunum. The net Crop Water Demand of the area (569.5 thousand donums) planted with olives was estimated at 525.649 m3 of water. The Virtual water rate for olive productivity (0.22 tons / dunum) was estimated at 4194 m3 / ton, and the values ranged between (the lowest value 2821 and the highest value 5576) m3 / ton. The Specific Water Demand was estimated as follows: (for the production of olives (125150 tons) with 524.879 mm3 of water, for the production of preserved olives (24691 tons) with 103.554 mm3 for the production of olive oil (20706 tons) for 86.841 m m3 of water). The Virtual water trade was estimated as follows: (for olive exports (1585 tons / year) amount to 6.647 m m3/ year of water, for Preserved olives exports (5442 tons / year) amount to 22,824 mm3 / year for water, for olive oil exports (575 tons /year) with 2.412 mm3 / year water. The study recommends the necessity of adopting the concept of virtual water as a wise tool for determining the water cost in irrigated agriculture, and using geographic information systems in producing crop water cost maps.

An Economic Study for Olive Crop Production in Bir Al-Abd Center North Sinai Governorate

The research aimed to study the productive conditions of the olive crop in North Sinai Governorate by achieving several sub-goals such as: an analysis of the structure of production costs and revenues and the net yield of the olive crop in the farms of the study sample, statistical measurement of the most important factors affecting the productivity of the olive crop by estimating the production function, the statistical estimate of the functions of production costs, Analyzing the productive problems facing olive producers with a sample study and proposals for solving them. The research reached these results, the most important of which are: 1- The total fixed costs amounted to 1650 pounds, representing about 44.46% of the total costs of olive acres. 2- The total variable costs amounted to 2061 pounds per acre, representing about 55.54% of the total costs, and the average share per kilogram reached 62 piasters from the total variable production costs. 3- The total costs amounted to 3711 pounds per acre. The average kilogram per share reached 1.12 pounds from the total production costs. 1- The average acre productivity was about 3.30 tons / acre, with an average revenue of 5775 pounds. 2- The presence of a positive (positive) and statistically significant relationship between the quantity of the resulting olive yield in the study sample and the number of trees (acre density) used by municipal fertilizer, the amount of human work, the number of irrigation hours, and this means that the increase in the user from these variables or one of them leads to an increase in productivity Acres of olives according to their ability to influence the amount of production. While there is a negative (negative) and statistically significant relationship between the quantity of the resulting olive harvest and the area of ​​the farm, and the one used from pesticides. 6- By increasing each of the number of trees (acre density), used by human labor, the amount of municipal fertilizer, the number of irrigation hours by about 1% (with other factors constant), the output of olives among the sample farmers increases by 0.364% 0.301%, 0.214%, 0.124 %, respectively. The research ended with some recommendations that would advance the promotion of olive cultivation and production in North Sinai.

Green Olive Browning Differ Between Cultivars.

Currently, table olives, unlike oil olives, are harvested manually. Shortage of manpower and increasing labor costs are the main incentives to mechanizing the harvesting of table olives. One of the major limiting factors in adopting mechanical harvest of table olives is the injury to fruit during mechanical harvest, which lowers the quality of the final product. In this study, we used the Israeli germplasm collection of olive cultivars at the Volcani Institute to screen the sensitivity of many olive cultivars to browning in response to injury. The browning process after induced mechanical injury was characterized in 106 olive cultivars. The proportional area of brown coloring after injury, compared to the total fruit surface area, ranged from 0 to 83.61%. Fourteen cultivars were found to be resistant to browning and did not show any brown spot 3 h after application of pressure. Among them, there are some cultivars that can serve as table olives. The different response to mechanical damage shown by the cultivars could be mainly due to genetic differences. Mesocarp cells in the fruits of the sensitive cultivars were damaged and missing the cell wall as a result of the applied pressure. The cuticles of resistant cultivars were thicker compared to those of susceptible cultivars. Finally, we showed that the browning process is enzymatic. We suggest cuticle thickness as an indicator of table olive cultivars suitable for mechanical harvest. A shift to browning-resistant cultivars in place of the popular cultivars currently in use will enable the mechanical harvest of table olive without affecting fruit quality.

Examination of Quality and Branding on Olive Oil in Turkey

Bu araştırmada, dünyada önemli zeytin ve zeytinyağı üreticisi ülkeler arasında yer alan Türkiye’nin kaliteli ve markalı zeytinyağı üretimindeki durumu incelenmiştir. Dünyada olduğu gibi Türkiye’de de kaliteli zeytinyağı üretiminde; zeytinin çeşidi, yetiştiği yöredeki iklim ve toprak, üretimde uygulanan kültürel işlemler, emek-yoğun hasat ve zeytini yağa işleme ve sonrasındaki işletme şartlarının en önemli kriterler olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu kriterlerin sağlanması koşuluyla üretilen zeytinyağında, kalite ve markalaşmanın tescillenmesinde ise ulusal ve uluslararası yarışmaların önemi büyüktür. Nitekim bu araştırmada, Türkiye’nin kaliteli ve markalı üretimine önem veren, özel ve özenli üretim yapan, kendilerini butik üretici olarak ifade eden ulusal ve uluslararası zeytinyağı kalite yarışmalarına katılıp ödül alan, kalite ve markalarını tescillendiren 21 adet firma sahibi ile görüşülmüştür. Bu 21 adet firmanın 5 adedi uluslararası, 8 adedi ulusal ve 8 adedi hem ulusal hem de uluslararası yarışmalardan ödül almıştır. Araştırmada nicel ve nitel yöntem kullanılmış, yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine mülakat sonucu elde edilen veriler, nitel yöntem gereği kodlanarak sınıflandırılmıştır. Ayrıca söz konusu zeytinyağı firmalarının sosyo- demografik özellikleri, işletme kapasiteleri, marka tanınırlıkları ve yarışmalardan aldıkları ödül durumlarını içeren veriler, nicel yöntem gereği gruplar arasında farklılıkları, Kruskal Wallis Testi ile incelenmiştir. Diğer yandan ulusal ve uluslararası yarışmaların kalite ve markalaşma sürecini olumlu etkilenmekte olduğu, firmaların ulusal ve uluslararası rekabet güçlerini test edildiğini ve uluslararası platformda tanınırlıklarının sağlandığı anlaşılmıştır.

Optimising the efficiency of olive harvesting considering operator safety

Mechanical-assisted harvesting of olives, which is carried out using hand-held harvesting units that detach the drupes through vibration supplied by electric motor or combustion engines, is a widespread method used in southern Italy. Such machines are able to harvest more than 80% of the overall quantity of olives available per tree in 5–10 min, but their performance is influenced by several factors related to the mechanical characteristics of the device and to the features of the trees. Here the problem of optimising harvesting efficiency whilst minimising the health risks to the operators is investigated, with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible to determine an optimum harvesting time which is a compromise between the harvesting efficiency and the operator safety. The quantity of harvested olives and the vibration dose received by the operator was measured simultaneously in specifically designed field tests. Vibration levels were determined by means of the SHAVE (safe hand arm vibration exposure) system, employed as a dosimeter capable of measuring the vibration level transmitted to the hand-arm system, applying the specified frequency weighting, processing the three axes of vibration data, and computing the vibration dose continuously for 8 h. By relating the time spent by the operator using the portable shaker (h), the quantity of harvested olives (kg h−1) and the level of exposure to vibrations (m s−2), an efficient management strategy for the team of operators was obtained that complied with the safety requirements for the workers involved.

A new aerobiological indicator to optimize the prediction of the olive crop yield in intensive farming areas of southern Spain

In the present study, bio-meteorological regression models for forecasting the fruit produced by the olive trees in Jaen (southern Spain), the province with the largest extension of olive groves in the world, were revised and improved. The new forecasting models were constructed using partial least-squares regression, taking the annual olive yield as the dependent variable and several aerobiological and meteorological parameters as the independent variables. The models were validated following a full cross-validation method. A 23-year period (1994–2016) was used. The number of days with pollen concentrations ≥400 pollen grains m−3 was revealed as a newfangled predictive variable to accurately predict the olive harvest in this area, being included in the forecasting model with the highest determination coefficient value (R2 = 0.89). Weather-related variables such as the cumulative precipitation from October to December of the previous year or the mean maximum temperature from January to March were also factors of particular importance on crop production. The new model proposed provides early and effective olive crop forecasting by using independent variables which can be easily obtained towards the middle of June, also incorporating to the model the phenological variability associated with changes in the local weather. The approach shown in this study readily could be applied to any potential new situation and to be extensible to other similar olive growing areas across the Mediterranean region.

Photoprotection assessment of olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves extract standardized to oleuropein: In vitro and in silico approach for improved sunscreens

Olive leaves contain higher amount of polyphenols than olive oil and represent a waste product from olive harvest and pruning of olive trees. The most abundant compound in olive leaves is oleuropein. Benefits of the topical application of olive leaves extract were previously reported, but little information is available on its photoprotective potential and the result of the association of this extract with organic UV filters in topical sunscreen formulations. The olive leaves extract photoprotective potential is less explored for both oral and topical photoprotection in comparison with other plants extracts and polyphenols, such as Polypodium leucotomos extract and resveratrol. There are increasing efforts towards developing more efficient sunscreens and a photoprotection assessement along with a better understanding of the photochemistry of naturally occurring sunscreens could aid the design of new and improved commercial sunscreen formulations. This study was designed to investigate the photoprotective potential of olive leaves extract standardized for oleuropein performing a set of in vitro and in silico tools as an innovative approach, highlighting yeast assays, in vitro Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and molecular modelling studies of UV absorption. This study supports the use of olive leaves extract for photoprotection, as an effective photoprotective, anti-mutagenic and antioxidant active, also showing a synergistic effect in association with UV filters with an improvement on in vitro SPF of sunscreen formulations.

PRODUCTION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF OLIVE CROP IN NORTH SINAI GOVERNORATE

Olives are important food crops for several reasons, including using it to extract the best vegetable oils food and health, as well as based on the equipment of many services and industries that allow multiple areas of investment and operation, and is characterized by hardness and carrying burdens of transportation and storage for periods that allow Producers are marketed outside the production areas for many uses, including those used in pickling, and those used in extracting oil, including those used in both images. The aim of the research is to estimate the production and cost functions of the olive harvest. Estimating some of the measures of production and economic efficiency of the crop and estimating the size that maximizes the profit as well as the optimum size that reduce costs and compare them to the size produced by farmers with different farm capacities. The research hypotheses included a moral effect of independent variables (automated work, nitrogen fertilizer) on the Fadden productivity of the first possessory olive harvest less than 10 Fadden. The existence of a moral effect of independent variables (automation, nitrogen fertilizer, organic fertilizer) on the Fadden productivity of the second possessory Olive Harvest is more than 10 Fadden. A moral effect of independent variables (human work, phosphate fertilizer) on the Fadden productivity of the olive harvest with the total sample of the field study. The descriptive analytical approach was used to form the theoretical framework for research and the preliminary data was collected through a survey form as a main research tool specially developed for this purpose, which was distributed to the sample of the research, with a vocabulary of 104. The results have resulted in the fact that the most important explanatory variables in the first possessory category are less than 10 Fadden that affect the dependent variable is the amount of automated work (Q2), and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer in the effective Unit (Q4), where it is statistically proven at 0.01, 0.05, which shows the relationship To deal with their reference to economic reasoning.