Olive products

We have been studying the ecology of table-olive fermentation, a spontaneous process that relies on a succession of mixed populations. Traditional fermented olives are a rich source of novel, interesting lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. We have been isolating and characterizing some of them that show technologically important properties, such as: high salt tolerance; fair growth at temperatures lower than 15ºC; high yield in the conversion of substrate to lactic acid; production of bacteriocins; capacity to degrade polyaromatic compounds.

Figure 1.: Expected normal values of qualitative variables and their corresponding effects.

Strains, carrying one ore more of the above described properties, have been tested in inoculum’s development studies. For one of these cases a process is being scaled-up with very promising results in the pipeline for other specific industrial applications. Moreover, making use of specific properties of 'novel' strains may enhance the inherent value of Portuguese table-olives and enables a certain product diversification, which is important to maintain the microbial biodiversity of these fermented foods.

Figure 2.: Response surface of maximum bioactivity style as a function of T(C) and % Nacl.