Effect of Maturity Stage of Olive Fruit on Quality of Olive Products

This is the first-ever study conducted to standardize the maturity stage of olive fruit for development of olive murabba. Olive fruit was harvested at three different maturity stages including lemon green, semi-ripened and fully ripened stages for postharvest processing. Most prominent quality parameters of the product were studied for all maturity stages. Olive productprepared from semi-ripened fruit gave the best score for the olive appearance (7.00) followed by that from lemon green stage (4.64). Semi-ripened stage also scored top in terms of flavor (6.53) and taste (6.58), followed by lemon green stage with non-significant differences. Highest firmness (14.91N) and shelf-life (372.66 days) were detected in products prepared from the lemon green stage; followed by semi-ripened stage (12.19 N firmness and 263days shelf life). Fruits harvested at fully ripened stage remained at the bottom in terms of all the parameters studied. The product prepared from fruits at semi-ripened stage gained the best acceptability due to having of the best appearance, flavor and taste, which are the main quality attributes in consumer viewpoint. In conclusion, harvesting olive fruit at semi-ripened stage resulted in the best quality of olive for processing to murabba.