INVOLVEMENT OF COPPER AND ZINC IONS IN GREEN STAINING OF TABLE OLIVESOF THE VARIETY GORDAL

The presence of metalochlorophyllic complexes of copper has been detec ted in table olives showing the alteration known as green staining. Th ese compounds are absent in the healthy fruit. The possible implicatio n of fungicidal treatment of olive trees in this alteration has been s tudied. No alteration was produced in table olives prepared with fruit from trees with and without fungicidal treatment and the differences found between copper levels in the fruit were not significant. The pos sibility that the copper involved in this alteration is of extraneous origin was, therefore, discarded. On the other hand, there were no sig nificant differences in the levels of copper in random samples of frui ts with and without green staining. Therefore, although the green-stai ning alteration is the result of the formation of complexes of copper with chlorophyll derivatives, it seems clear that the simple presence in the fruits of copper, by itself, does not lead to the appearance of green-staining.