Research on Effects of Harvest Method, Date and Elevation on Fruit and Oil Quality of ‘Ayvalık Yağlık’ Olive Cultivar
Project no. 1013 · Status: Kapanmış · 2016
Summary
The current study was conducted to determine the effects of harvest time, method and elevation on fruit and oil characterictics of ‘Ayvalık Yağlık’ olive cultivar. Early, optimum and late harvests were made by sticks, pneumatic beater and branch shaker in a convantional olive groove located in two different elevations (~50 m ve ~175 m) in Edremit district of Balıkesir province. Then, olive fruits stored in 18-20°C conditions for 3 days and physical, biochemical attributes and mechanic damages caused by harvest methods were evaluated. Free acidity and fatty acid composition were analysed. Mechanical damages in fruits showed significant differences according to the harvest method. Important changes were found in fruit color and free acidity. Olive fruits harvested by branch shakers found to have a positive effect on the parameters mentioned above. Fruit weight, maturity index, oil content and linoleic acids increased with the progress of harvest time, while color, humidity, free fatty acid, total phenolics, palmitic, stearic and linolenic acid amount decreased in the last harvest. Fruit width and pulp/seed ratio were higher at the optimum harvest time. The results showed that with the increase in maturity index, significant changes were found in some physical and biochemical properties of olive fruits. Key words: Olive, maturity, harvest method, mechanic damage, fatty acid composition.