Reducing the Bloater Spoilage During Lactic Fermentation of Moroccan Green Olives

Abstract

The process of natural lactic fermentation of green olives is too long and usually associated with several types of olive deteriorations, mainly the »bloater spoilage«. The control of pH and salt level in brine, a practice mostly used in the olive industry, is not sufficient to avoid these problems. The main objective of this work is the control of the fermentationprocess in order to reduce the duration of the process and the olive spoilage incidence.Therefore, some Moroccan green olives were alkali-treated and brined at 5 % NaCl. The controlled fermentation was carried out by adjusting pH, by inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum I159 and the addition of potassium sorbate (0.05 % brine). The results showed arapid development of lactic fermentation with a remarkable reduction in »bloater spoilage «, without affecting the organoleptic properties, colour and texture of the final product.

Keywords

• green olives
• fermentation
• bloater spoilage
• Lactobacillus plantarum
• yeasts