2.1. Samples treatment
Samples of approximately 150 g of green olives cv. Halkidiki after the end of fermentation described in detail elsewhere (Blana et al., 2014) were packed in multi-laminated polyethylene pouches (OPA 15 mm/PE 85 mm), covered with 200 mL of freshly prepared brine 9% (w/v, NaCl), initially acidified with 2‰ (w/v) citric acid and 1.5‰ (w/v) ascorbic acid and heat sealed using an industrial scale packing machine at the facilities of Kon- stantopoulos S.A. table olive industry located in Northern Greece. The selected concentrations of salt and acids were based on com- mon practice followed by the Greek table olive industry today. The pouches were maintained at controlled temperatures (4 and 20 C) in thermostatic chambers (MIR-153, Sanyo Electric Co., Osaka, Japan) for approximately 12 months (357 days). The experiment consisted of four packing treatments with olives previously fer- mented by (i) the indigenous microbiota (control); (ii) L. pentosus B281; (iii) L. plantarum B282; and (iv) a co-culture of both strains (B281 and B282).