Olives and Olive Oil - Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging - page 495

Treated green olives in
brine (Spanish-style)

Natural black olives
(Greek-style)

Black olives
(Californian-style)

Green olives Black olives Green and turning

color olives

Harvesting

Transportation

Sorting
(optional size-grading)

Washing

Alkaline treatment Storage in brine

(optional)

Brining

Washing

Alkaline treatment
and air oxidation

Fermentation

Brining

Washing

Aeration
(optional)

Fermentation

Color-fixing

Brining

Sorting and size-grading

Pitting and stuffing
(optional)

Pitting, slicing/splitting
(optional)

Packing

Pasteurization
(optional)

Pasteurization
(optional)

Sterilization

Figure 26.4. Flow diagram of table olive processing in different styles.

weight of the olives. The final product is not bitter, but salty,
and looks like a raisin (Rejano et al., 2010).

olives are quite green in color, and their pulp has a relatively
high pH. According to the Quality Standards which regu-
late trade in table olives (Codex Alimentarius, 1981), this
requires the use of some sort of thermal treatment, steriliza-
tion or pasteurization, to preserve olives in the long term.
In the case of pasteurization, the pH of the pulp has to be

Other trade preparations
Some green olive preparations include an alkaline treatment
followed by water washings, but no fermentation phase. The