Pre-cooling and cold storage of olives (cv Picual) in containers with a capacity of 400 kg

The cooling of olives stored in containers with a capacity of 400 kg risk accumulation of respiration heat and subsequent fruit deterioration. Pre-cooling the fruit to 5 °C before cold storage was studied as a possible solution to overcome this obstacle. The fruit temperature within the containers was recorded daily for 14 days and oil was extracted at days 0, 4, 8, and 14. A second experiment evaluated a rapid pre-cooling procedure at -18 °C for 3 min. No significant alterations at the level of the examined parameters were recorded. The internal temperature of the control container declined and stabilized at around 12 °C. The temperature of the pre-cooled fruit increased to up to 8 °C. The examined parameters showed no significant alterations in either experiment and the rapid pre-cooling treatment did not lead to any visible ‘chill injuries’. A pre-cooling treatment at 5 °C was successfully introduced at the farm of a small producer.