Quality of fruit and oil of black-ripe olives is influenced by cultivar and storage period

Black-ripe olives (Olea europaea cv. Ascolano, Manzanillo, Mission, and Sevillano), intended for oil extraction, were stored at 5 degrees C for 6-8 weeks to evaluate their postharvest physiology and quality changes. Also, samples of olives were placed at 20 degrees C for 2 weeks to determine the deterioration rate of four cultivars at ambient temperature. Fruit quality evaluations included color, visual quality, fruit firmness, mass loss, and water and oil content. Decay incidence, physiological disorders, and respiration and ethylene production rates of the olives were also recorded. Olive oil quality was determined by analysis of titratable acidity, peroxide value, K-232 and K-270 coefficients, and fatty acid composition of the olives. Fruit and oil quality of Ascolano and Manzanillo cultivars deteriorated more rapidly than that of Mission and Sevillano olives. Black-ripe Manzanillo and Ascolano olives could be stored with good air circulation at 5 degrees C for 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, whereas Mission and Sevillano cultivars could be stored for 6-8 weeks at 5 degrees C with maintenance of good fruit and oil quality.