Reducing Phenolics Related to Bitterness in Table Olives

Table 1

Comparison of Greek natural, Spanish green, and California style black ripe table olives processing parameters.

Method	Greek natural	Spanish green	Californian style black ripe
Raw fruit	Purple maturation	Green maturation	Green maturation
Debittering mechanism	Diffusion	Base hydrolysis + diffusion	Base hydrolysis
Debittering time	6–12 months	1–7 months	1 week
Final pH	∼4	∼4	5.8–7.9
Final color	Purple or dark brown	Green or pale yellow	Black (artificial color)
Flavor	Salty, acidic, and fermented	Salty, acidic, and fermented	Soapy, earthy, and buttery
Wastewater per ton olive	0.9–1.9 m^3/t	3.9–7.5 m^3/t	8.0 m^3/t
Sterilization required	No	No	Yes
Drawbacks	Long processing time	—	Carcinogenic acrylamide