Use of Starter Cultures in Olives: A Not-Correct Use Could Cause a Delay of Performances

Abstract

The role of lactic acid bacteria for a correct course of fermentation of table olives has been extensively reviewed and it is a common idea that the inoculum of selected strains could exert a strong benefit for product quality; however, the basic assumption of this research is that a not-correct preparation of starter could affect its performances in brines and delay the benefit of a starter inoculum . Thus, some selected strains of LAB (lactic acid bacteria) and yeasts were inoculated into brines of Bella di Cerignola olives (Spanish style), as a single starter (LAB or yeasts) or a combined preparation (LAB + yeasts) and compared to a natural fermentation, focusing on the performances of the process (acidification, production of lactic acid) and trying to verify the basic assumption. LAB and yeasts were grown in the opportune lab media and then directly inoculated in brine after the lye treatment. LAB exerts a kind of benefit (increased content of lactic acid) only for 2 - 3 weeks; then, the inoculated samples behave in the same way as not-inoculated ones. Thus, this research underlined that a starter culture, not prepared in the correct way, could not be useful to guide the fermentation.