Reducing
water consumption on agriculture is a worldwide goal toward
sustainability. In this scenario, two experiments of regulated deficit
irrigation (RDI) were carried out on olive trees, cultivar Manzanilla.
With regard to experiment A, three RDI techniques were applied during
the olive pit hardening period (stage II), while in experiment B,
two RDI treatments were applied during the rehydration phase (stage
III). Table olives under RDI are so-called hydroSOStainable. The effect
of water deficit and Spanish-style processing was studied on the polyphenol
profile, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenol content (TPC)
of both raw olives (RO) and table olives (TO). The TPC decreased after
processing of TO. It could be due to osmotic mechanisms. However,
many individual polyphenols, such as oleuropein (main polyphenol)
or oleoside diglucoside, increased their concentrations in hydroSOStainable
TO. Additionally, the TPC content was correlated to the phenological
stage of the fruit when the stress is applied. A moderate stress during
pit hardening and an intense stress during the rehydration phase were
the treatments that best improved the polyphenol profile.