Use of selected autochthonous lactic acid bacteria for Spanish-style table olive fermentation

The present work presents a successful attempt to achieve an enhanced and more predictable fermentation process in Spanish-style green olive technology by selection and use of autochthonous starter cultures. During the first phase of this work, two Spanish-like fermentations of green table olives of cultivar (cv) “Nocellara del Belice”, coming from irrigated and not irrigated fields, were monitored, in order to highlight the best agricultural conditions for drupe production and to isolate lactic acid bacteria strains with relevant technological properties. Among 88 identified isolates, one Lactobacillus pentosus strain showed remarkable biochemical features and high acidification rate in synthetic brine. In the second phase, the selected strain was used as starter culture in three different trials to establish the best conditions for its use. Microbial counting, as well as starter tracking by M13 RAPD-PCR, reflected the optimal adaptation of the strain to the environment. Spontaneous fermentation needed a 14-day long lag phase to reach the same population as the inoculated trials. Moreover, sensory traits of table olives obtained with adjunct culture showed better characteristics compared to those processed in the other trials, in particular concerning the presence of off-odours.