Compositional and structural investigations of ripening of table olives, Bella della Daunia, by means of traditional and magnetic resonance imaging analyses

The ripening of Bella della Daunia table olives was monitored and the structural and compositional differences between the raw and processed products were investigated. The amount of oil in the pulp, the moisture, the reducing sugar content and the composition of fatty acids were determined by means of routine analyses. The results provided information on the variations that occur in the Bella della Daunia olive with ripening. They confirmed the correlation between decreases in sugars and water and increases in oil content. Analyses carried out on processed olives showed the effects of processing on components. ic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed in order to monitor (non-invasively) the different stages of maturation and the processed olives. This technique proved useful for monitoring the evolution of water and oil distribution.