Microbial stability and quality of seasoned cracked green Aloreña table olives packed in diverse chloride salt mixtures

This work was conducted to determine the effect of the partial replacement of NaCl by KCl and CaCl2 (expressed as percentages, wt/vol) on the microbial stability and physicochemical characteristics of seasoned cracked olives using a simplex centroid mixture design. Neither Enterobacteriaceae nor lactic acid bacteria were found during the 50 days that olive packages were monitored. Therefore, microbial instability was considered due to the growth of yeasts, which were the only detected microorganisms; Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia membranifaciens were the most relevant species. Yeasts decreased during the first 21 to 30 days after packing, but their populations rose to 3.5 log CFU/ml by the end of the storage period, clearly causing product deterioration. The partial substitution of NaCl with the other chloride salts slightly altered the phase of microbial inhibition and regrowth. Most of the quality characteristics were not affected by the use of the alternative salt mixtures, but the pH values and Cl(-) concentrations in brine decreased as the CaCl2 concentration increased. Hence, seasoned cracked table olives can be produced using a lower proportion of NaCl without causing significant changes in the shelf life and product quality, although further detailed studies are necessary to guarantee the stability of products packed with specific salt mixtures.