Study of the heat transfer during the alkaline treatment in the processing of Spanish Style green table olives

Abstract

This article describes for the first time at the industrial level the temperature rise that occurs inside the processing tank during the lye treatment. Relationships between variables that define the lye treatment have been determined from the study of the thermal characteristics of this process. The initial temperature influences other variables of this treatment, such as its duration or the slope of the linear increase of temperature produced. The study estates that this generation of heat can be principally caused by the alkaline hydrolysis reactions that occur in the interior of the fruit and, to a lesser extent, by the dilution of sodium hydroxide solution with water present in the pulp of the olives.

Keywords

• alkaline treatment
• heat transfer
• hydrolysis
• table olives
• temperature
• spanish style