ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIAL BRINE CONDITIONS FOR NATURALLY BLACK TABLE OLIVE FERMENTATION AT LOW TEMPERATURE

In traditional olive processing in Turkey, olive fruits are generally harvested in November and December when environmental temperatures are lower, so use of a starter culture is required for the occurrence of lactic acid fermentation. There has been no study on the effects of initial NaCl content and temperature on acidification and growth of lactic starters used in black table olive fermentations in cold regions. This study is conducted to determine the acidification characteristics of 4 different lactic acid bacteria isolated from cold fermentation olive brines. Three different initial salt concentrations (5, 7 and 15%) were studied both in spontaneous and lactic acid bacteria inoculated black olive fermentation brines of Gemlik cultivar at 10-12°C. The highest acidification was observed at the samples inoculated with mixed lactic starter culture at 7% salt concentration. Olive fruits were suitable for consumption at the end of 63 days fermentation period.