**3. Conclusions and further perspectives**

The increasing demand for healthy foods has stimulated the industry to study more intensively the existing varieties of table olives found in Mediterranean countries. Olives are considered by many in the food industry to be the "food of the future" [30]. Their balanced fatty acid content and the presence of significant concentrations of polyphenols and fibers increases their attractiveness to the modern consumer. The variety of methods and styles of preparation further increases their demand. For these reasons, most research during the last two decades has focused on the effects of pre-harvesting care and processing technologies, on the nutritional and sensory properties of the different varieties of table olives. Technical aspects of harvesting and post-harvesting processes seem to have been neglected, and to a large extent, traditional methods of handling the produce were retained.

The transition to mechanical harvesting of table olives is essential for the economic survival of this branch of agriculture just as it was for oil olives. The costs of manual labor are increasing, thus lowering profitability to a dangerous level. The changes suggested in this chapter, and the availability of the technologies enabling these changes, are necessary for adapting local, family-sized olive orchards to the scale needed to meet the demands of the world market of the future.

#### **Figure 1.**

*In order to switch from hand to mechanical harvest of table olives several studies must be completed. The two main methods of mechanical harvesting of olives are use of a harvester or use of a trunk shaker. In order to use a harvester, we need to screen and identify (or develop) olive cultivars resistant to bruising, which can be harvested mechanically, without damage to the fruit. For use of a trunk shaker, we also need to identify or develop table olive cultivars resistant to bruising. This must be accompanied by a pre-harvest treatment to decrease fruit detachment force, while avoiding leaf abscission. In both mechanical harvesting methods, fast post-harvest treatment is crucial to avoiding defects and producing quality table olives.*

### *Table Olives: Toward Mechanical Harvesting DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102700*

The transition from traditional to fully mechanical systems is challenging not only for the individual farmer; investments in research and infrastructure are also required. New olive varieties adapted for intensive cultivation and super high density harvesting must be developed, suitable equipment must be purchased, and manpower trained. However, profits should cover these investments within a relatively short time (**Figure 1**).

The second area in which technical innovations are required is post-harvest treatments designed to decrease bruising of the fruit during harvest. These treatments should keep in mind the need to reduce the concentration of the polyphenols which cause the bitterness in untreated olives to desired levels. Natural fermentation has been confirmed as the best method for maintaining the high content of polyphenols and triacylglycerols necessary for preserving the nutritional and sensory qualities characteristic of table olives. Reducing processing time is another important goal of research, which must be integrated into the efforts to reduce bitterness and bruising of the fruit [4, 8].
