Articles
PROCESSING-INDUCED CHANGES IN MICROSTRUCTURAL AND TEXTURAL CHARACTERISTICS DURING GREEN OLIVE FERMENTATION
Article number
791_103
Pages
677 – 683
Language
English
Abstract
The preparation of Spanish-style green olives comprises several stages, namely lye-treatment, washing and fermentation in brine.
Processing conditions are most responsible for the chemical and physical changes affecting the commercial quality of the finished product.
In this work the effects of three different washing processes with water, CO2 and HCl on microstructural and textural characteristics of “Ascolana tenera” green olive fruit were studied.
A very thin cuticle (skin) and the absence of collenchymatous hypodermal layers were observed by Scanning electron microscopy in unprocessed olive fruit.
Such hystological composition was related to the well known characteristics of softness since skin and collenchyma give resistance and strenght to the olive fruit during pre/postharvesting handling and processing.
Gross changes in the parenchyma tissue structure of olive fruit were detected as a consequence of washings with CO2 probably due to its diffusion, as a gas, through the olive pulp.
Separation of epicarp from mesocarp and reduction in the cuticular thickness were also detected during processing.
Compression tests were employed to measure mechanical properties of fresh and processed olive fruit, and a higher softening was detected in olive fruit when CO2 was used.
Sensory evaluation of the processed olives were carried out and the attributes scored were colour, odour, taste, and textural properties such as firmness, crispness, woodiness, juiciness, grease, detachment of skin from the pulp and detachment of pulp from the stone.
Relationships between mechanical and sensorial evaluations were calculated.
Processing conditions are most responsible for the chemical and physical changes affecting the commercial quality of the finished product.
In this work the effects of three different washing processes with water, CO2 and HCl on microstructural and textural characteristics of “Ascolana tenera” green olive fruit were studied.
A very thin cuticle (skin) and the absence of collenchymatous hypodermal layers were observed by Scanning electron microscopy in unprocessed olive fruit.
Such hystological composition was related to the well known characteristics of softness since skin and collenchyma give resistance and strenght to the olive fruit during pre/postharvesting handling and processing.
Gross changes in the parenchyma tissue structure of olive fruit were detected as a consequence of washings with CO2 probably due to its diffusion, as a gas, through the olive pulp.
Separation of epicarp from mesocarp and reduction in the cuticular thickness were also detected during processing.
Compression tests were employed to measure mechanical properties of fresh and processed olive fruit, and a higher softening was detected in olive fruit when CO2 was used.
Sensory evaluation of the processed olives were carried out and the attributes scored were colour, odour, taste, and textural properties such as firmness, crispness, woodiness, juiciness, grease, detachment of skin from the pulp and detachment of pulp from the stone.
Relationships between mechanical and sensorial evaluations were calculated.
Publication
Authors
V. Marsilio, B. Lanza, F. Russi, E. Iannucci
Keywords
scanning electron microscopy, Olea europaea L., Spanish-style process, firmness, sensory analysis
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