Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of table olive production incorporating innovative actions at various stages of the production process
Ανάλυση κύκλου ζωής (Life Cycle Assessment – LCA) της παραγωγής επιτραπέζιας ελιάς, ενσωματώνοντας καινοτομικές δράσεις σε διάφορα στάδια της παραγωγικής διαδικασίας

Master Thesis
Συγγραφέας
Vaitsos, Ioannis
Βαΐτσος, Ιωάννης
Ημερομηνία
2026-04Επιβλέπων
Mantzouridou, FaniΜατζουρίδου, Φανή
Προβολή/ Άνοιγμα
Λέξεις κλειδιά
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ; Fermentation ; Food processing sustainability ; Lye treatment ; Table olivesΠερίληψη
This specific thesis aims to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of table olive
production, incorporating innovative actions at various stages of the production
process. A study and analysis of biotechnological methods for processing table olives
is carried out within the context of the Bioeconomy. Subsequently, an analysis and
selection of the main industrial equipment in a processing and production unit for
Greek and Spanish-style table olives is performed. After selecting the equipment used
in the facility, the consumption of electricity, water, and chemical raw materials is
calculated, along with the corresponding waste generated.
Following this, a Life Cycle Assessment is conducted at various stages of the table
olive production process to assess whether the introduction of new technologies has a
positive environmental impact. The innovative technologies analyzed include the use
of specific bacterial cultures at the initiation of fermentation, the use of heating
elements during fermentation, the use of ultrasound, the use of alternative salts during
fermentation, and the use of KOH for debittering.
The study concludes that the greatest action to reduce the environmental impacts of
table olive processing and production is by introducing new technologies at the
pasteurization stage. The use of KOH instead of NaOH in debittering, or the use of
CaCl2 instead of NaCl in fermentation, does not, on its own, reduce the environmental
burden of the process. KOH has a greater environmental burden as a raw material
than NaOH, and CaCl2 has a greater environmental burden than NaCl.

