Kharla A. Segovia-Bravo

Effect of bruising on respiration, superficial color, and phenolic changes in fresh Manzanilla olives (Olea europaea pomiformis): Development of treatments to mitigate browning

The aim of the work was to study the postharvest changes in Manzanilla olives and to find treatments to mitigate damages because of bruises. The phenolic content in bruised and unbruised fruits exposed to air always decreased, but the loss in phenols and the respiratory activity were greater in bruised olives; these changes were related to the appearance of brown spots. Immersion of the picked fruits in a cold (8 °C) acidic solution (pH 3), ascorbic acid solution (100 mM), or sodium metabisulfite solution (100 mM) significantly reduced the loss in phenols in olives and led to lighter brown bruised areas. This immersion did not affect the behavior of the fruits during the lye treatment and the subsequent fermentation. In the final product, no influence on the surface color of unbruised olives was observed and there was a significant color improvement in the bruised areas of damaged olives.

Effect of Inert Atmosphere on the Postharvest Browning of Manzanilla Olives and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology of the Aqueous Treatments

Subjecting bruised olives to a nitrogen atmosphere during the postharvest period prevented the oxidation of phenols and subsequent browning. However, a rapid phenol oxidation and browning occurred when fruits were re-exposed to air. Based on models deduced from the effects of aqueous antioxidant solutions on changes in different color parameters in the fermented product, the treatments to prevent browning were optimized. The recommended procedure consists of placing the harvested olives in a cold (4 to 8 °C) solution of 3% sodium metabisulfite with the pH adjusted to 3.0 (by adding food grade HCl) and applying the lye treatment before 8 h from picking. The use of these conditions led to mechanically harvested Spanish style olives with hardly any visible browning.