Through a notification dated 24 November 2016, the FSSAI has issued directions for the operationalization of Table Olives. The draft notification for Table olives was notified in the Official Gazette on 15 November 2016. The FSSAI has now operationalized the standards for Table Olives with immediate effect. All FBOs must follow the standards for table olives but their enforcement will commence from 1st January or 1st July of the year as the case might be, subject to a minimum of 180 days from the date of final notification of these regulations in the Official Gazette.
The amended standards for Table Olives have been made in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 under the regulation dealing with FRUIT & VEGETABLE PRODUCTS in the category ‘Table Olives’.
Table Olives are products prepared from sound fruits of varieties of the cultivated olive tree (Olea Europaea).
Table Olives
- may be treated so as to remove the bitterness and preserved by natural fermentation, or by heat treatment, with or without the addition of permitted preservatives or by other means
- packed with or without brine
FSSAI has classified olives by their degree of ripeness
Green olives are harvested during the ripening period, but prior to the color development and when they have reached normal size.
Olives turning color means that they have been harvested before the stage of complete ripeness and just when there is a color change.
Black olives are harvested when fully ripe or slightly before full ripeness is reached.
The FSSAI has also outlined the various ways in which the olives can be processed. Olives are also named according to the way they are processed. So you can have
- Natural olives
- Treated olives
- Dehydrated or shriveled olives
- Olives darkened by oxidation
- Other types of olives
Olives are also named according to their styles or types.
- Whole Olives
- Cracked olives
- Split olives
- Stoned or pitted olives
- Halved olives
- Quartered olives
- Divided olives
- Sliced olives
- Chopped or minced olives
- Broken olives
- Stuffed Olives
- Salad Olives
- Olives and Capers
FSSAI has also outlined essential composition and quality factors
All types and classification of olives may contain permitted ingredients like
- Water (potable)
- Edible salts
- Vinegar\olive oil or other edible oil as specified in the regulations
- Honey and nutritive sugars as specified in the regulations
- Any single or combination of edible material used as an accompaniment or stuffing
- Spices and aromatic herbs and natural extracts
Packing brine
Brine is the solution of salts dissolved in potable water with or without one or all the ingredients mentioned above. Brine must be clean, free from foreign matter and must comply with hygienic requirements as specified in Schedule 4 of the FSSA. Fermented olives placed in the packing medium could contain micro-organisms needed for the fermentation process and could include lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.
Physico-chemical characteristics of the packing brine
Types and preparation | Maximum sodium chloride content | Minimum pH limit |
Natural olives (by weight) | 6.0 percent | 4.3 |
Treated olives (by weight) | 5.0 percent | 4.3 |
Pasteurised treated natural olives | GMP | 4.3 |
Dehydrated or shriveled olives (by weight) | 8.0 percent | GMP |
Darkened by oxidation with alkaline treatment | GMP | GMP |
Drained weight of the product shall not be less than the following weight
Whole olives | 50.0 percent of the net weight of the contents |
Stoned (pitted) and stuffed olives | 40.0percent of the net weight of the contents |
- When packed in rigid containers the product must occupy not less than 90.0 percent of the water capacity of the container
- Water capacity of the container is the volume of distilled water at 20ºC which the sealed container is capable of holding when completely filled
Other requirements
- Food Additives must be those specified in Appendix A
- Product must comply with microbiological requirement as specified in Appendix B
- Product must comply with the Food Safety and Standards (contaminants, toxins, and Residues) Regulations 2011
Labelling requirements
- Labelling requirements must be according to the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011.
- In case of stuffed olives, the style of the stiffing will be indicated as follows
- “olives stuffed with ………………(name of single or combination of ingredients)
- Olives stuffed with …………….paste (name of single or combination of ingredients)
- Brine and its strength must be declared on the label
Sampling and analysis of the product must be as specified in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Manual of Method of Analysis of Food.
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