L’oliva è un frutto di forma ovale divisa in tre parti, una parte più esterna sottile e trasparente detta epicarpo, una parte media polposa detta mesocarpo, ed una parte interna detta endocarpo, comunemente detta nocciolo.
L’endocarpo a sua volta presenta esternamente il tegumento, una parte centrale che è l’albume, e la più interna i cotiledoni (da cui si sviluppa la pianta).Attraverso la differenziazione dei caratteri biometrici (diametro massimo e lunghezza del nocciolo) si possono distinguere le specie domestiche di diametro superiore ai 10mm dalle specie selvatiche di grandezza inferiore.
The olive is the fruit of the olive used for food purposes either directly, after adequate processing, and as a raw material for the extraction of the oil. The maturation process of the olives is different from the type of coloration, from the yellow green, during the development, to the purplish black, when it has matured. Olives are harvested when they reach the right point of forwarding, of antioxidant content and of organoleptic properties. In Southern Italy, the harvesting period is mainly between November and December (but for some it is until late January) when they reach their maximum size and are rich in oil. Once taken, all the fruits are placed in perforated boxes and moved to cool and airy environments, after which the olives are taken to the mill and processed.
The olive is an oval shaped fruit divided into three parts, a thin and transparent outer part called epicarp, an average pulpy part called mesocarp, and an inner part called endocarp, commonly known as a core.
The endocarp in turn presents the tegument externally, a central part that is the albumen, and the innermost the cotyledons (from which the plant develops).
Through the differentiation of biometric characters (maximum diameter and length of the core) we can distinguish domestic species with a diameter of more than 10mm from wild species of smaller size.
