Evaluation of greek-style black table olives in salt varying brines

Abstract

hree fermentation processes with black table-olives were tested. Olives were placed in: a) 16 %(w/v) concentration of NaCl, (traditional treatment), b) a buffer of CH₃COOH (0.05M) and Ca(OH)₂, (0.025M) without any NaCl and initial pH 4.7, and c) a buffer of CH₃COOH (0.05M) and Ca(OH)₂ (0.025M) containing 12.8 % (w/v) NaCl, and pH 4.3. Isolation, identification and enumeration of predominant microorganisms from fruits and brines sampled during the fermentation periods as well as color, intensity, texture and sensory evaluation tests of the final products were conducted. The third fermentation process, (c), yielded a product with low salt content no presence of spoilage microflora or other alterations during the fermentation period, with significantly better final texture and color, and higher acceptability among the consumers (P<0.05) compared to the other two. Potential use of a low-salt modification of the traditional black-table olives' fermentation process was proposed.