Resumen de Application of refrigeration for debittering table olives

Beatriz Díez, Jorge Saura Martínez, Ana María Ortuño Tomás, José Antonio del Río Conesa, María Ángeles Ferrer Ayala

• During the process of making table olives, it is necessary to remove bitterness caused by phenolic compounds like oleuropein. This debittering effect is achieved by degrading these compounds into non-bitter ones that are beneficial for health due to their antioxidant properties. One of the most used methods is alkaline debittering using NaOH but the main drawback is the environmental impact generated by wastes and degradation of high-value nutraceutical compounds in olives. Different olive debittering pre-treatments followed by refrigeration storage at 5ºC during 90 days have been performed using Ocal variety olives (Olea europaea L.) by combining heat, β- glucosidase and Lactobacillus plantarum treatments. Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol concentrations were determined in olive pulp and brine. The data has been complemented with sensory tests. The treatment with the best results was storage in refrigeration, which achieved significant debittering and greater degradation of ...