Table of Contents

Sanitary Risks Caused by

01 Production of
Table Olives 02 Microorganisms or Their Metabolites in
Table Olives

Table Olives: How to Reduce

Hurdles against Biological
03 Biological 04 Hazards in 05 Conclusion
Hazards Table Olives
 01
Production of
Table Olives
 Brief introduction

Table Olives
Table olives are a pickled food product
obtained by a partial/total debittering and
subsequent fermentation of drupes.

Table olives
 Table Olives
The product is prepared from the sound fruits of
varieties of the cultivated olive tree that are
chosen for their production of olives whose volume,
shape, flesh-to-stone ratio, fine flesh, taste, firmness,
and ease of detachment from the stone make them
particularly suitable for processing; treated or
remove its bitterness and preserved by natural
fermentation, or by heat treatment with or without the
Table olives addition of preservatives; packed with or without
covering liquid
 Production of
Table Olives
● General process: brining/salting,
fermentation, and acidification
o Spanish-style
o Californian-style
o Directly brined olives
Table olives
"Spanish style
Californian-style
Directly brined olives
● Microorganisms have an important
role, in determining the safety,
quality, and flavor of the final
product.
● Traditionally, olive fermentation
occurred spontaneously, but the
process is not fully predictable and
sometimes can lead to product
spoilage or sanitary risks
 02
Sanitary Risks
Caused by
Microorganisms or
Their Metabolites in
Table Olives
 (i) Biogenic Amines

Toxic biogenic amines can be formed in table olives by spoilage microorganisms

with amino acid decarboxylase activity during fermentation

Biogenic amines (putrescine,

cadaverine, and tyramine) present in fermented green table olives with
“zapatera” spoilage.

The concentration of biogenic amines can increase during olive storage but the
levels found in the final products are usually low and should not represent a health
concern
 (ii) Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are naturally

Mycotoxins in foods can be
occurring toxins
of concern for consumers,
produced by certain
causing disease in human
moulds (fungi) and can
and other vertebrates
be found in food. These
with symptoms such as
compounds are usually
skin irritation,
produced under aerobic
immunosuppression,
and humidity
neurotoxicity, etc.
conditions.
 (ii) Mycotoxins

● Types of mycotoxins: Mycotoxin levels usually

Ochratoxin, Aflatoxin found in table olives are
B, and Citrinin. too low to cause disease
● Greek-style black olives
(iii) Foodborne bacteria

It is reported that there is the

presence of
● Enterobacteriaceae species
● Listeria monocytogenes
● Staphylococcus aureus

➔ Mostly come from water

and vegetal environment.
 However
● Table olive is a processed food that has
been through the fermentation process
➔ It is hard for those bacteria to survive
● The bacteria mostly reside on the
surface of olive
➔ Not meet a suitable environment and can
be washed off
There is outbreak regarding
biohazard due to Clostridium
botulinum

➔ Which can be lethal if not diagnosed rapidly and treated with antitoxin.
The origin of this outbreak is
suspected to be artisanal
productions or inadequate
storage

➔ A common reason for homemade canned, preserved, or fermented foodstuffs

(iv) Degradation of Organic Acids

01 Propionibacterium Convert lactic acid to

propionic acid

02 Pectinatus Transform lactic acid

into propionic acid

Lactobacillus
03 buchneri
Able to produce acetic
acid from lactic acid
 Lactic acid consumption in table olives reduces the preservative
power of fermented olives and increases the pH values,

Allow for the growth of others undesirable microorganisms with the

consequent loss of product quality and food safety
Summary of main types of biohazards in table olives
Type of biological Microorganism or
Type of table olives
hazard compound detected
Putrescine, Cadaverine,
Biogenic amines “zapatera” green olives, Greek-style olives
Tyramine

Ochratoxin, Citrinin,
Mycotoxins “Greek-style” black olives
Aflatoxin B

Listeria monocytogenes Green olives Sliced black olives

Staphylococcus sp.
Presence of foodborne Coliforms
pathogenic bacteria Yersinia and Escherichia coli
Clostridium
Black olives, Brined olives
Black olives, Green olives
Spanish-style olives
Black olives, Green olives from Italy,
Olives stuffed with almonds
 03
Table Olives:
Hurdles against
Biological
Hazards
 3 main factors control
the biological hazard

Fermentation Biopreservativ Antimicrobial

environment e agents compounds
Acidic and salty Bacteriocins and Present in both olive
environment limit glycoproteins acting brines (EDA, hy-EDA)
the growth of as biocontrol agents and inside olive fruit
microorganisms (Polyphenols)
 04
How to reduce
biological hazards in
table olive
 Objective: achieving zero risk in the case of
illness and injury caused by microbial toxic

● To achieve this , we must follow practices for food processing:

GAP, GMP, GHP.
● The framework of food safety management systems, which include
not only the HACCP System, but also other food defense tools to
prevent intentional adulterations.
 Physicochemical Microbiological
Approaches
In some cases, the fermentation of olive fruit still occurs spontaneously
➔ Addition and adjustment are necessary

● Addition of acids
● Salt, temperature control
● Preservatives
● Modified atmospheres
Microbiological Approaches

• Yeasts used as starter cultures

during table olive processing
were selected based on diverse
technological criteria.
• Lately, the probiotic potential of
native microorganisms has been
exploited
05
Conclusion
● The amount of bacteria is not significant to cause serious injury
or illness on the large scale.
● But it is necessary to consider individual cases as well as
consuming a large amount of product.
● The harsh environmental conditions found in the fermentation process,
and the presence of other additional hurdles
⇒ Development of foodborne pathogens in table olives.
⇒ 1st type of biological hazard: Contaminated Biological hazards are bacteria,
fungi, prions, viruses, and parasites)

● Storage and selling conditions are also responsible for the presence of
undesirable microorganisms.
● Table olives can be considered a safe product. Preservation methods such
as pasteurization or sterilization are frequently used to guarantee the
stability and safety of fermented olives.
 Thank you
For listening
Do you have any question
REFERENCES
Medina-Pradas, E., & Arroyo-López, F. (2015). Presence of toxic microbial metabolites in table
olives. Frontiers In Microbiology, 6. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00873
Degirmencioglu, N. (2016). Modern Techniques in the Production of Table Olives. Products From
Olive Tree. doi: 10.5772/64988
Conte, P., Fadda, C., Del Caro, A., Urgeghe, P., & Piga, A. (2020). Table Olives: An Overview on
Effects of Processing on Nutritional and Sensory Quality. Foods, 9(4), 514. doi:
10.3390/foods9040514