Well-being

The cultivation of the olive tree has its roots in ancient history The first people to be responsible for the diffusion of the olive are considered the Phoenicians , who thanks to their intense mercantile activity introduced the olive first in Greece (XI-VII sec.B.C.) and later on to the entire Mediterranean basin where it found a favourable habitat for its growth . In regards to Italy, the olive was established around the VI-IV sec. B.C. and its cultivation spread from Sicily to Liguria.

Products derived from olives, primarily oil but also table olives, are the main sources of fats and monounsaturated fatty acids in Mediterranean type diets. Oleic acid is the main constituent present in a range from of 56% to 84% over total lipids ( linoleic acid is present in concentration from 3% to 21%). (FEDELI AND MANGOLD , 1997)

The study was conducted on samples of green, black and turning colour olives of different varieties processed by different methods and ready to be consumed.
10 samples of table olives were used for this study , each weighing a total of 1.5 kg and originating from a main group of olives weighing 4500 kg. The 10 samples were classified and used for programmed evaluations.

The measurement of water, protein, fats, ashes, and phosphorus was carried out in accordance with the official methods AOAC (GAITHERSBURG MD, 1999).

The quantity of polyphenols was determined using the method (SINGLETON V.L., 1999) and was expressed as tannic acid equivalent.

The research carried out on the ten types of Italian, Greek and Spanish olives has pointed out differences in the composition of nutrients.
The percentage of edible part varies from a minimum value of 73% to a maximum value of 84% and is determined by the ratio pit/pulp which is a characteristic of each variety.

The major components found in table olives are lipids, composed mainly by triglycerides; the fatty acids present are those that undergo important changes in terms of quantity and quality.

High levels of Sodium are found in all table olives due to the fact that sodium chloride is used in all processing procedures, but the concentration level is slightly lower in the CastelVetrano and Californian procedures.