Study of the processing of dehydrated black olives from oxidized black olives

Changes in the processing of black olives, together with the dehydration of the latter, were investigated in order to develop a new product with similar physicochemical and sensory characteristics to commercial dry-salted olives. Large fruit of the Hojiblanca cultivar (160 fruit/kg), preserved in brine for eight months, were used. It was found that these olives must be elaborated with hot lye (40 degrees C) to reduce their strong firmness. Moreover, several changes must be introduced during the color fixation stage including the addition of a concentration of NaCl higher than 6 g/100 mL, acidification with lactic acid and a low concentration of ferrous gluconate (<0.5 g/ L). In addition, the kinetic constant and activation energy during the dehydration of the olives by infrared heating were obtained. Finally, it must be noted that this new product was assessed without any negative sensation by tasters one year after packing.