BACKGROUND Olive trees (Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. europaea) naturally grow in areas spanning the Mediterranean basin and towards the East, including the Middle East. In the Iranian plateau, the presence of olives has been documented since very ancient times, though the early history of the crop in this area is shrouded in uncertainty. METHODS The varieties presently cultivated in Ira...

The Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular and Alzheimer's diseases. Olive products (mainly olive oil and table olives) are important components of the Mediterranean diet. Olives contain a range of phenolic compounds; these natural antioxidants may contribute to the prevention of these chronic conditions. C...

This work aimed to assess the influence of olive maturity and oil season on potential quality monovarietal virgin oils from area assigned Protected Designation Origin “Aceite de la Alcarria” (Spain), analysing regulated physicochemical sensory parameters, stability parameters composition fatty acids, sterols triterpenic dialcohols. To complete study, we also characterised coupage made in mills ...

The production of Greek-style natural black table olives remains an empirical process relying on spontaneous fermentation despite its economic significance. For this reason producers often resort to increased NaCl concentration of the brine to secure quality of the product. In this study we employ two lactic acid bacteria Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides Lm139 and Lactobacillus pe...

Coliform bacteria have long been associated with a "gassy" deterioration of olives. This deterioration may be characterized by the formation of blisters, resulting from accumulation of gases which separate the skin from the flesh of the olives or by the formation of fissures directly under the skin which may extend to the pit of the fruit as shown in Plate 1. The decomposition is not confined t...

Fermentation is one of the oldest methods for preserving of olives applied worldwide for thousands of years. However, olive processing is a speculative area where whether olives are fermented products or pickled products produced by organic acids and salt. Although lactobacilli and yeasts play a major role in the process, literature survey indicates that lactobacilli are less relevant at least ...

The average contents, in mg/kg edible portion (e.p.), of elements not considered for nutritional labeling in Spanish table olives were as follows: aluminum, 71.1; boron, 4.41; barium, 2.77; cadmium, 0.04; cobalt, 0.12; chromium, 0.19; lithium, 6.56; nickel, 0.15; lead, 0.15; sulfur, 321; tin, 18.4; strontium, 9.71; and zirconium, 0.04. Sulfur was the most abundant element in table olives, follo...

Introduction Structure of plant phenolics or more hydroxy substituents Role of phenolics in olives Properties and function Phenolics as antioxidants Phenolics and fruit quality Factors affecting the phenolic profile of olives Varietal influences Other factors Olive development and maturation Processing and storage Oil production Table olives Analysis Sample preparation Quantification Chromatogr...

This work studies the inoculation conditions for allowing the survival/predominance of a potential probiotic strain (Lactobacillus pentosus TOMC-LAB2) when used as a starter culture in large-scale fermentations of green Spanish-style olives. The study was performed in two successive seasons (2011/2012 and 2012/2013), using about 150 tons of olives. Inoculation immediately after brining (to prev...