Description:

The INOVOlive project aims to study and develop solutions for the table olive production sector, namely the photostimulation of the natural fermentation process and the decontamination of olives and brine at the end of the fermentation process, using LED lighting technology, allowing for accelerated fermentation and packaging of olives in brine with reduced salt content. The valorization of brine will also be studied.

Project code:

• 17451

Approval date:

• 14/10/2024

Start date:

• 01/11/2024

End date:

• 31/10/2027

Total financial support:

• 1.096.920,00 €

Co-promoters:

• Adega Cooperativa De Freixo De Espada à Cinta
• MORECoLAB – Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação – Associação
• LOKI, Unipessoal Lda
• IPB - Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.

• Study the effect of photostimulation, through the emission of LED (red) light, on the duration of the natural fermentation of table olives;
• Assess the impact of photostimulation on the physical-chemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of table olives;
• Study the decontaminating effect of LED (blue) light on reducing the microbial load of olives at the end of the fermentation process, allowing them to be packaged in brine with reduced salt content;
• Study the effect of blue LED light on the decontamination of brine, with the aim of being able to reuse it in the table olive production process and in the production of salicornia
• Scale the fermentation process with the application of photostimulation;
• Demonstrate the feasibility of producing olives packaged in low-salt brine on an industrial scale;
• Demonstrate the production of salicornia in hydroponics using brine water on a relevant scale.

• Study of photostimulation of olive fermentation;
• Study of packaging olives in low-salt brine;
• Study of the valorization of brine resulting from the fermentation process in the production of salicornia;
• Study of different LED lighting systems applied in table olive processing;
• Demonstration of the potential of the products and processes developed;
• Dissemination, communication, and exploitation of project results
  Technical management of the project.

The aim is to obtain four new products and four new processes, namely:

i) Processes:

• Obtain a microbiological control process for table olives before packaging, using blue LED lighting, in order to substantially reduce the microbial load and consequently reduce the amount of salt used for preservation during shelf life by at least 30%;
• Develop a decontamination process using blue LED lighting, with the aim of reducing the microbial load of the brine discarded at the end of the fermentation process by 99%, with a view to reusing it in the olive fermentation process;
• Develop a process for producing salicornia in hydroponics using the highest possible percentage of brine (before and after decontamination with blue LED lighting) resulting from the fermentation process, maximizing the plant's agronomic performance.

ii) Products:

• Obtain Negrinha de Freixo PDO preserved olives packed in brine with a lower salt content than that commercially available (ACFEC currently sells olives with NaCl <8%, and the project aims to use brine with less than 5% salt);
• Develop three LED lighting systems, one with the aim of stimulating fermentation and adaptation to table olive fermentation bioreactors (reducing fermentation time by at least three months) and the other two with the aim of reducing the microbial load of olives and brine by 99% at the end of the fermentation process.