Assays to control the development of the green staining alteration in Spanish-style green olives of the Gordal variety.

Background: Olives of the Gordal variety processed according to the Spanish style sometimes develop an alteration in color known as green staining (GS), due to the formation of harmless copper-chlorophyll complexes, which makes the product less valuable. The aim of this study was to investigate methods to minimize the impact that this alteration has for the table olive industry.

Results: Calcium chloride, sorbic, benzoic and ascorbic acids and SO2 did not inhibit the development of the alteration in olives packed under their own fermentation brine or new fresh brine.

Fermented vegetables containing benzoic and ascorbic acids as additives: benzene formation during storage and impact of additives on quality parameters.

Chemical and sensorial changes related to the use of benzoates and ascorbic acid as additives in packed fermented vegetables were investigated. For this, three selected vegetables (green olives, cucumbers, and caperberries) stored under different conditions (glass or plastic containers, ambient or refrigerated storage) were used. In all cases, benzoic acid remained unchanged (glass bottle) or decreased slightly (plastic pouch) at prolonged storage.

D-amino acid formation in sterilized alkali-treated olives.

The occurrence of d-amino acids in commercial ripe olives, a well-known sterilized alkali-treated product, was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with precolumn automatic derivatization. Absolute amounts of D-amino acids were in total 18.6-38.

Vitamin content and amino acid composition of pickled garlic processed with and without fermentation.

The effect of processing, with and without fermentation, upon the nutritional composition of pickled garlic was evaluated. On a dry basis, the fermented product had a higher content of riboflavin, alpha-tocopherol, and most individual amino acids but a lower thiamin level than the unfermented product. Ascorbic acid was totally lost during processing.

4-Hydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic Acid as a Substrate for Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acid Production during the " Zapatera " Spoilage of Spanish-Style Green Table Olives.

Zapatera spoilage was reproduced in Spanish-style green olive brines adjusted to pH 5 and with a concentration of 5% (wt/vol) NaCl. A relationship between the formation of the compound responsible for the zapatera off odor, cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, and consumption of a new compound isolated from olive brines, 4-hydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid, was established. When the latter compound was added to a synthetic medium inoculated with a concentrated microbial suspension from a zapatera brine, cyclohexanecarboxylic acid was formed.