Preface

Olive is a plant that has served as a source of food and even healing for thousands of years, especially in the Mediterranean Basin. It is also the source of livelihood for many people in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the olive plant in nine chapters written by experts in the field.

The first section of the book includes three chapters. In Chapter 1, Dr. Bouhafa discusses olive tree fertilization management in Morocco as a case study. In Chapter 2, Prof. Grego gives a detailed history and discusses the importance of olive. In Chapter 3, Dr. Giovenzana et al. discuss optimization techniques of the olive production chain using optical techniques and the development of new cost-effective optical systems inspired by agriculture 4.0.

 The second section of the book includes six chapters. In Chapter 4, Dr. Frangopoulos evaluates the effects on color stability of incorporation of Trigonella Foenum-Graecum seed powder in nitrite-free meat emulsion systems with olive oil. In chapter 5, Mrs. Bongartz et al. discuss whether different test locations have a relevant impact on data quality during the sensory evaluation of extra virgin olive oil. In Chapter 6, Dr. Ben-Ari et al. review published studies regarding the mechanical harvest of table olives and attempt to identify the main issues in this process. In Chapter 7, Prof. Sakar and Prof. Gharby examine extraction technologies, chemical composition, and enrichment techniques by natural additives on olive oil. In Chapter 8, Dr. Oberg proposes additional sensory criteria for the quality assessment of the grade of extra virgin olive oil. Finally, in Chapter 9, Dr. Rahimianfar discusses the effect of olive leaf extract on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults.

> **Taner Yonar** Environmental Engineering Department Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey
