Cultivation

Canning and Salting of Olives

Olea europaea L.

Olive processing technology requires mandatory debittering to remove oleuropein. The process involves chemical or physical neutralization of bitterness followed by fermentation of the fruits in saline solutions.

In the reference 87 varieties crop Olive, where this is mentioned in the description.

Fresh olive fruits contain a high amount of the glycoside oleuropein, which gives them a sharp, bitter taste and makes them inedible without special preparation. The primary processing stage consists of removing this substance, which is achieved either by industrial alkali treatment or by prolonged soaking in water and brine, sometimes with preliminary mechanical damage to the skin to facilitate the diffusion of bitterness.

After the bitterness is removed, the fruits undergo a lactic acid fermentation stage in a brine with a salt concentration ranging from 5 to 15 percent. The nature of the fermentation depends on the maturity of the raw material: lactic acid fermentation is more characteristic of green olives, while yeast often dominates the process when treating black olives. The final product may undergo additional industrial oxidation to fix the dark color.

General information about the subject — on the page Canning and pickling.

Sources8

Varieties of Olive mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.