Compression tests of cv. Nocellara del Belice table olives for texture evaluation during storage

The influence of pasteurization temperature and time of treatment on the flesh firmness and the evolution of microbial communities was studied for table olives Cv. Nocellara del Belice, packed in glass jars and processed with a tunnel pasteurizer. Pasteurization at industrial scale was carried out within a tunnel pasteurizer applying the treatment at 75 °C for 8 min in the thermal center of the jars. Besides flesh firmness and microbial evolutions, pH, total ti-tratable acidity (TTA) and colour were evaluated for the table olives during storage at 6, 12 and 15 months from packing. Table olives showed a high stability and an acceptable flesh firmness for the entire period under observation. Specifically, olive pulp texture decreased during the storage period, but the softening was most evident in the deeper layers of the pulp. The results indicated that the storage period should not exceed 6 months; although the hygiene is preserved, after this period the firmness might compromise the acceptability by consumers