Effect of drying, chemical and natural processing methods on black Biancolilla olives

Abstract

In the present work, the effects of different drying and brining treatments on pigmented Biancolilla olives were evaluated. The olive cultivar considered is typical of Sicily and was harvested at pigmented state. The carpological data revealed its good quality as table olives. A preliminary fermentation in brine was applied to the samples. Half of the samples were dried whereas the remaining olives were subjected to three different lye treatments and oxidation steps. After washing, the olives were stored according to a natural fermentation or drying process with or without a pretreatment of iron gluconate. The fermentation and oxidation steps conditioned the hygienic characteristics of the final product affecting the pH value of the brine. The use of iron salt for improving the darkening rate of processed olives influenced the color parameters as expected. The oxidation and the addition of iron salt affected the texture of dried olives making them softer than those directly dried. The results suggest that the Biancolilla cultivar is suitable for fermentation in brine without any previous treatment such as oxidation.