Investigation and Analysis of the Current Situation of Olive-Stone Carving Inheritance in Guangzhou

The issue of inheriting and developing traditional handicrafts in this contemporary society is being explored by all walks of life in China. Taking the olive-stone carving in Guangzhou as a case, field investigations and analyses of its current situation of inheritance have been conducted. It has been found that although the government in Guangzhou has been paying more attention to olive-stone carving, there are still many problems, including the shortage of raw materials, no inheritors, low market recognition, and inadequate promotion. Therefore, the local government has cooperated with schools and craftsmen to search for key solutions in regard to raw material protection, training of inheritors, product development, and product promotion.

Shape Diversity of Olive Stone, Resulting from Domestication and Diversification, Unveils Traits of the Oldest Known, 7000-Years-Old Table Olives from Hishuley Carmel Site (Israel)

The first exploited and domesticated olive forms are still unknown. The exceptionally well-preserved stones from the submerged Hishuley Carmel site (Israel), dating from the middle of the 7th millennium BP, offer us the opportunity to study the oldest table olives discovered so far. We apply a geometrical morphometric analysis in reference to a collection of modern stones from supposed wild populations and traditional varieties of various origins, genetic lineages and uses. Analyses carried out on modern material allow to characterize the extent of stone morphological variation in the olive tree and differentiate distinct morphotypes. They also allow to discuss the status of supposed wild populations and interpret the divergence between groups of varieties and their wild progenitors in an evolutionary and biogeographical perspective. Shape of archaeological stones compared to the differentiation model, unveils morphological traits of olives most likely belonging to both wild olive trees and domesticated forms, some of them showing a notable domestication syndrome. This forms at the early stages of domestications, some of which surprisingly morphologically close to modern varieties, were probably used for dual use (production of olive oil and table olives), and possibly contributed to the dispersion of the olive tree throughout the Mediterranean Basin and to its subsequent diversification.

Analytical Characterization of Water-Soluble Constituents in Olive-Derived By-Products

Olive trees constitute one of the largest agroindustries in the Mediterranean area, and their cultivation generates a diverse pool of biomass by-products such as olive tree pruning (OTP), olive leaves (OL), olive stone (OS), and extracted olive pomace (EOP). These lignocellulosic materials have varying compositions and potential utilization strategies within a biorefinery context. The aim of this work was to carry out an integral analysis of the aqueous extractives fraction of these biomasses. Several analytical methods were applied in order to fully characterize this fraction to varying extents: a mass closure of >80% was reached for EOP, >76% for OTP, >65% for OS, and >52% for OL. Among the compounds detected, xylooligosaccharides, mannitol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, and hydroxytyrosol were noted as potential enhancers of the valorization of said by-products. The extraction of these compounds is expected to be more favorable for OTP, OL, and EOP, given their high extractives content, and is compatible with other utilization strategies such as the bioconversion of the lignocellulosic fraction into biofuels and bioproducts.

Stabilisation of Olive Oil of the Arbequina Variety During Storage Time by Enrichment with Extracts of Olive Stones of the Picholine Variety

Two samples of olive oils of the Arbequina variety were enriched with different extracts of olive stones of Moroccan Picholine variety, the olive stones used are generated in the process table olive preparation and olive oil extraction industry. The enriched oils were analyzed in order to evaluate the influence of the enrichment on of their quality during storage time. The following parameters were determined: acidity, peroxide values, absorption coefficients K270 and K232 for nine months of storage in the dark at room temperature. The prepared extracts of olive stones were characterized in terms of phenolic content and antiradical activity by spectroscopic methods. The results of our study show that the oil of the Arbequina variety is less stable in terms of oxidation compared to the oils of the Moroccan variety Picholine. Enrichment with olive kernel extracts partially reduced acid hydrolysis and increased resistance to oxidation especially in oils enriched with seedless olive kernel extracts. The lowest peroxide value, after nine months, was observed in oil enriched with extracts of seedless olive stone (E1: 13.31 ± 0.25 Meq (O2) / kg, E2: 14.52 ± 0.19 Meq (O2) / kg) compared to the Arbequina oil control sample (E1: 17.68 ± 0.23 Meq (O2) / kg and E2: 20.16 ± 0.17 Meq (O2) / kg) and to Picholine oil (E1: 12.54 ± 0.24 Meq (O2) / kg, and E2: 12.82 ± 017 Meq (O2) / kg). These results are confirmed by measuring the coefficients K232 and K270. The results show that stone extracts can extend the storage times of olive oil and also have excellent antioxidant activity