Effects of irrigation treatments on the quality of table olives produced with the Greek-style process

Abstract

The irrigation of olive orchards is commonly applied to produce table olives with optimal size. No data have been published on the microbiological quality of drupes from irrigated olive groves during fermentation. The trials T100 and T50 (receiving a water amount equivalent to 100 % and 50 % of the required amount, respectively) and control T0 (rainfed trial) were monitored during two consecutive years. The results showed a significant increase of equatorial diameter and flesh:pit ratio of irrigated drupes. The decrease of pH and the numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) registered for the irrigated trials during the fermentation were more consistent than those displayed by control T0. Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus coryniformis, and Pediococcus pentosaceus for LAB and Candida boidinii, Candida diddensiae, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus for yeasts were isolated at the highest concentrations. The global sensory acceptance was better for irrigated trials than control T0. The statistical multivariate analysis showed that the effect of irrigation was independent of the seasonal variability and it clearly distinguished the T100 and T50 trials from rainfed control. Irrigation improves significantly the quality of table olives. Interestingly, all explorative multivariate analyses showed low dissimilarity between irrigated trials; thus, the thesis T50 represents an effective approach to save water in olive orchards without compromising the quality of table olives.

Effect of Spanish‐style processing on the quality attributes of HydroSOStainable green olives

“…Raw olives from T2 had the highest fruit weight (4.66 g), while T3 had the lowest weight (4.13 g). Previous studies reported similar results showing that strongest RDI treatments decreased the weight of olive fruits, but moderate treatments yielded larger fruits . T3 olives had the highest fruit/pit ratio (6.45); this ratio increased as irrigation decreased.…”

“…Although olive trees were traditionally rain‐fed, some years ago periodic irrigation was implemented in this crop because of the intensification of agriculture. This practice generates some benefits on olive production and was established following FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) recommendations; and, it is essential in regions where rain is concentrated only in autumn–winter (specific microclimatic conditions),. Nowadays, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is a watering technique that is widely studied due to an increasing water scarcity.…”

Volatile Composition, Sensory Profile and Consumer Acceptability of HydroSOStainable Table Olives

“…During the last decade, several studies about the effect of RDI on table olives agronomical, chemical and functional characteristics have been published [5,8,9,10,11,12,13], but none of them included consumer insights. The use of moderate RDI (reducing water irrigation in a moderate way but without neglecting irrigation) in table olive orchards led to an enhanced antioxidant capacity and higher polyphenolic content [2,14,15].…”

Aerobic industrial processing of Empeltre cv. natural black olives and product characterisation

“…The only exception in Calaceite was one tank during the 2017/2018 season in which LAB grew from the onset of the brining. It must be noted that the Alcañiz olives were mainly harvested from irrigated trees, which is favorable for the growth of LAB in brines of natural olives (Martorana et al, 2017).…”