EFFECT OF PRESERVATION TREATMENT, LIGHT, AND STORAGE TIME ON QUALITY PARAMETERS OF SPANISH-STYLE GREEN OLIVES

The influence of acidity-salt level, pasteurization, light, and storag e time on pH, titratable acidity, brine color, and firmness and color of the fruit was determined in packed green olives (whole, pitted, and stuffed with pepper paste). There was a significant increase in pH du ring storage, indicating microbiological instability, in the case of t he nonpasteurized pitted olives with the lowest acidity - salt level ( 0.3-3.0%). In general, the pasteurized samples were less firm and had lower color index [i = (4R(635) + R-590 - 2R(560))/3] and a darker bri ne (as measured by the parameter A(440) - A(700)) than the nonpasteuri zed samples. The color index was highly correlated with the parameter L-. The samples stored in the presence of light had a paler brine, bu t higher values of i, than those stored in darkness. During storage th e firmness degraded slowly, with the data fitting first-order kinetics well (r > 0.90). The color of the olives also degraded with time, mai nly in the pasteurized samples stored in darkness. The repercussions o n the product's shelf life are discussed.