Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Traditional and industrial oven-dry processing of olive fruits: influence on textural properties, cell wall polysaccharide composition, and enzymatic activity

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Food Research and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The preparation of table olives according to the Italian traditional “Ferrandina” method (Fer) includes an initial blanching step of black Cassanese olives, followed by salting and oven-drying. Its industrial implementation, also called the “Sybaris” method (Syb), replaces the blanching procedure by cutting the olives followed by immersion in water. The measurement of tensile properties showed that the Fer processing increased the weakness, softness, and deformability of the skin and the flesh of olive fruits, while the flesh of the Syb fruits became stronger and stiffer. These differences are probably correlated to the degradation and/or reorganisation of cell wall polysaccharides in the fruits. The degradation of pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharides in the Fer olives was inferred by their increased solubility in aqueous solutions. Contrarily, retention of pectic polysaccharides was observed in Syb olives. As no correlation was found between cell wall degrading enzymatic activities and cell wall polysaccharides extractability, it is probable that these modifications were driven by heat.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Marsilio V, Lanza B, Campestre C, De Angelis M (2000) J Sci Food Agric 80:1271–1276

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Coimbra MA, Waldron KW, Selvendran RR (1994) Carbohydr Res 252:245–262

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Coimbra MA, Rigby NM, Selvendran RR, Waldron KW (1995) Carbohydr Polym 27:277–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Coimbra MA, Waldron KW, Delgadillo I, Selvendran RR (1996) J Agric Food Chem 44:2394–2401

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jiménez Araujo A, Labavitch JM, Moreno AH (1994) J Agric Food Chem 42:1194–1199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Sánchez-Romero C, Guillén R, Heredia A, Jiménez A, Fernández-Bolãnos J (1998) J Food Prot 61:78–86

    Google Scholar 

  7. Jiménez A, Guillén R, Sánchez C, Fernández-Bolãnos J, Heredia A (1995) J Agric Food Chem 43:2240–2246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Jiménez A, Heredia A, Guillén R, Fernández-Bolãnos J (1997) J Agric Food Chem 45:1653–1658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jiménez A, Sánchez-Romero C, Guillén R, Fernández-Bolãnos J, Heredia A (1998) J Agric Food Chem 46:4376–4381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Marsilio V, Lanza B, De Angelis M (1996) J Agric Food Chem 70:35–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Sánchez-Romero C, Guillén R, Heredia A, Jiménez A, Fernández-Bolãnos J (1998) J Food Prot 61:87–93

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mafra I, Barros AS, Coimbra MA (2006) Carbohydr Polym 65:1–8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Mafra I, Barros AS, Coimbra MA (2007) Carbohydr Polym 68:647–657

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Cardoso SM, Mafra I, Reis A, Nunes C, Saraiva J, Coimbra MA. Naturally fermented black olives: effect on cell wall polysaccharides and on enzyme activities of Taggiasca and Conservolea varieties (submitted for publication)

  15. Cardoso SM, Mafra I, Reis A, Georget DMR, Smith AC, Waldron KW, Coimbra MA (2008) J Sci Food Agric 88:2079–2086

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Georget DMR, Smith AC, Waldron KW (2001) J Sci Food Agric 81:448–454

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Coimbra MA, Delgadillo I, Waldron KW, Selvendran RR (1996) Isolation and analysis of cell wall polymers from olive pulp. In: Linskens H-F, Jackson JF, Modern Methods of Plant Analysis, vol 17. Springer, Berlin, pp 19–44

  18. Mafra I, Lanza B, Reis A, Marsilio V, Campestre C, Angelis M, Coimbra MA (2001) Physiol Plant 111:439–447

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Selvendran RR, March JF, Ring SG (1979) Anal Biochem 96:282–292

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Blakeney AB, Harris PJ, Henry RJ, Stone BA (1983) Carbohydr Res 113:291–299

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Harris PJ, Blakeney AB, Henry RJ, Stone BA (1988) J AOAC Int 71:272–275

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Blumenkrantz N, Asboe-Hansen G (1973) Anal Biochem 54:484–489

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Coimbra MA, Barros A, Rutledge DN, Delgadillo I (1999) Carbohydr Res 317:145–154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Rutledge DN, McIntyre P (1992) Chemom Intell Lab Syst 16:95–101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Barros A (1999) Contribuition à la sélection et la comparaison de variables caractéristiques, PhD Thesis, Paris Grignon: Institut National Agronomique

  26. Fernández-Bolaños J, Rodríguez R, Guillén R, Jiménez A, Heredia A (1995) Physiol Plant 93:651–658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Mafra I, Barros AS, Nunes C, Vitorino R, Saraiva J, Smith AC, Waldron KW, Delgadillo I, Coimbra MA (2006) J Sci Food Agric 86:988–998

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Kertesz ZI (1955) Pectic enzymes. In: Colowick SP, Kaplan NO, Methods in Enzymology, vol 1. Academic Press, New York, pp 158–162

  29. Borin MF, Said S, Fonseca MJV (1996) J Agric Food Chem 44:1616–1620

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Worthington Biochemical Corporation (1993) Worthington enzyme manual, enzymes and related biochemicals. Millipore Corporation, Bedford, pp 293–294

    Google Scholar 

  31. Beynon RJ, Bond JS (1996) Proteolytic enzymes. University Press Oxford, Oxford, p 27

    Google Scholar 

  32. Jiménez A, Rodríguez R, Fernández-Caro I, Guillén R, Fernández-Bolãnos J, Heredia A (2000) J Sci Food Agric 80:1903–1908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Coimbra MA, Barros A, Barros M, Rutledge DN, Delgadillo I (1998) Carbohydr Polym 37:241–248

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Oliveira H, Barros A, Delgadillo I, Coimbra MA, Santos C (2009) Environ Exp Bot 65:1–10

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Wakabayashi K (2000) J Plant Res 113:231–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Prasanna V, Prabha TN, Thranathan RN (2007) Critical Rev Food Sci Nut 47:1–19

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Waldron KW, Smith AC, Parr AJ, Ng A, Parker ML (1997) Trends Food Sci Technol 8:213–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Saraiva JA, Nunes CS, Coimbra MA (2007) Food Chem 101:1571–1579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Castro SM, Van Loey A, Saraiva JA, Smout C, Hendrickx M (2006) J Food Eng 75:50–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Van Buren JP (1979) J Texture Stud 10:1–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the EU Project OLITEXT FAIR CT97-3053 and FCT for funding the Research Unit 62/94 “Química Orgânica, Produtos Naturais e Agro-Alimentares”. Thanks are also due to Prof. Nicola Uccella, from University of Calabria, Italy, for introducing us in Ferrandina and Sybaris types of olive processing.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Isabel Mafra

    Present address: Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

  2. Dominique M. R. Georget

    Present address: School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Susana M. Cardoso, Isabel Mafra, Ana Reis, António S. Barros, Cláudia Nunes, Jorge Saraiva & Manuel A. Coimbra

  2. CIMO/Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5301-854, Bragança, Portugal

    Susana M. Cardoso

  3. Institute of Food Research, Norwich Laboratory, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UA, UK

    Dominique M. R. Georget, Andrew C. Smith & Keith W. Waldron

Authors
  1. Susana M. Cardoso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Isabel Mafra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ana Reis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. António S. Barros
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Cláudia Nunes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Dominique M. R. Georget
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Andrew C. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jorge Saraiva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Keith W. Waldron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Manuel A. Coimbra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel A. Coimbra.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cardoso, S.M., Mafra, I., Reis, A. et al. Traditional and industrial oven-dry processing of olive fruits: influence on textural properties, cell wall polysaccharide composition, and enzymatic activity. Eur Food Res Technol 229, 415–425 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-009-1074-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-009-1074-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation