effects of lactiplantibacillus plantarum 11 and chloride sodium on biochemical and microbiological quality of table olives during fermentation

Background: table olives are nutritionally a complete food and considered as one of the oldest fermented products. this study aimed to evaluate the effect of lactiplantibacillus plantarum 11 as a starter culture on the fermentation of table olives at two incubation temperatures 22 and 30 °c and different salt concentrations (0, 4, 8, and 12% m/v) of sodium chloride (nacl). methods: the fermentation of table olives was carried out according to the spanish style. l. plantarum 11 was inoculated as a starter culture (106 colony forming unit (cfu)/ml), and listeria monocytogenes cect 4032 was used as an indicator strain. under the same experimental conditions, the fermentation of olives without the inoculation of starter culture was used as a control. then, biochemical and microbiological quality of each experimental batch was tested. results: unlike the incubation temperature of 22 °c, the ph values obtained in salted batches and incubated at 30 °c were all below the marketing limits for table olives. at the end of the process, the maximum load of yeasts and molds (>5 log cfu/ml) was recorded in the batches incubated at 22 °c. at 22 °c, listeria was absent in inoculated fermenters at a concentration greater than or equal to 8% (w/v) of nacl. however, at 30 °c, listeria was not detected in treatment groups and in the control group with 12% nacl. conclusion: l. plantarum 11 could be potentially considered as a probiotic starter culture during the fermentation of black table olives.