DESCRIPTION

Scope of the invention

The present invention is placed in the context of the processing of olives to obtain a finished product derived from them that is for food use.

State of the Art

To date, especially on the Italian territory, thanks to its geographical location, as is known the cultivation of olive trees is an excellence; obviously it is accompanied by the production of olive oil and depending on the type of olive trees is also accompanied by the production of other products derived from olives not specifically intended for the production of oil. In any case, with olives of more than one cultivar, a plurality of table products can be produced, just as highly valued as oil.

In particular, of interest for this process is the pate or olive sauce, a product with a semi-dense texture with notes both olfactory and very particular and appreciated taste. As is known, olive pate can be more or less salty, more or less liquid depending on the type of production, and/or pasteurized with other aromas/spices to expand the notes of taste of the same (e.g. with chilli, garlic, basil etc...).

The olive pate is presented almost exclusively in the form of a cream or paste in an oil-covered glass jar.

It consists of olive paste obtained with a special machine that separates the stones and the pulp of the olives in brine and at the same time reduces the pulp to cream. Then, oil is added to increase fluidity to facilitate the filling. Once the cream (or pate) has been filled, it is covered with oil and pasteurized.

As a rule, this product is sold in jars (more or less small, it does not matter here) to be stored already from the sale in the refrigerator, or to be stored in the refrigerator after opening the container in which it is stored.

(Clarification: as every expert in the field knows, the brine phase is placed upstream of everything, immediately after the harvest of the olives, these are separated from the leaves, possibly calibrated (but to make pate it is not necessary) washed and put in special barrels with a saline solution that usually varies in salt concentration from 12% to 14% and are left to deamarize for a few months. The time for deamarization or tanning that you want to say can vary depending on the state of ripening of the olives (more unripe more time) or external temperatures (colder more time) since the barrels are always stored outside. This delicious product faces some disadvantages, among which first of all its use once opened: the excess oil of the pate tends to drip from the jar when it is opened and the product is extracted from it with the consequent risk of stains and discomfort in handling it.

Another disadvantage is the preservation, once the jar (or other suitable casing) is opened, the oxidation of the product begins immediately and with it the deterioration, this altering after the first use the color of the pate and also often the taste, creating doubts in the user about the goodness of the product.

It goes without saying that a genuine product without preservatives (or almost) must be consumed quickly. This often does not happen precisely because of the peculiarity of the product to be particularly "tasty" and intense in its taste notes; unless fervent enthusiasts it is difficult that with the jar open the product is all consumed in a few days - also because its strong taste means that only small doses are used at a time - so disadvantageously it often happens that the product must be thrown away without having finished the whole jar. This is also due to the loss of freshness that occurs when the jar is opened.

With regret, therefore, there is often food waste of this high-end product and also unnecessary economic expense on the part of the buyer.

Note that it has been described in the art by W0201914031A1 that describes in an extremely approximate manner a method for making a olive paste-based product or pate comprising mixing olive pulp with a portion of plant-based protein, heating the mixture, adding flavourings, cooling and putting it into at least one mold. This process appears immediately not to be useful from an industrial point of view since neither proportions nor temperatures, nor types of machinery used nor any other indication is given to allow precise and reproducible industrial production, therefore totally lacking feasibility characteristics.

Therefore, although the fact of refrigerating the composition in a mold is similar to what is proposed by the present invention by reading this document totally lacks any grip to be able to make an industrial production, on the contrary, in the present invention it is described precisely how to make the product and there is no talk above all of any preventive mixing with proteins of plant origin as clearly highlighted in point A1 of the method "olives paste and only olives", so no presence of oil or other oily or greasy substance, this being precisely a purpose of the present invention to improve the handling of the product.

US5094871, on the contrary, describes a very precise process for the preparation of what is called a product of blown olives, which in reality develops into an olive paste that is subject to a series of well-defined steps that include the use of well- defined substances and also waiting times for the realization of the finished product that can last up to four months, this process also includes the addition of preservatives such as sodium hydroxide, acetic acid, sodium phosphate, calcium sulfate and others (contrary to the present invention where one of the purposes is to minimize the preservatives and artificial agents to keep the product genuine, and we limit ourselves to correcting the PH if necessary) This process also includes the addition and presence of 4% of the olive oil, while one object of the present invention is to completely avoid the oiliness of the product as underlined in the objects, and other substances, which is absolutely excluded from the objects of the present invention to propose a more genuine and fresh product, so D2 being an alternative method to make a product based on pasta or slicable olive mixture but not at all similar to the process described by the present invention from the point of view of the development of the process and the components of the final product.

Document WO2019200435 generically describes a method for preparing a structure-modified food product, comprising the phases of: (a) providing a partially cooked fruit or vegetable; (b) grinding the partially cooked fruit or vegetable to form a paste; and (c) printing the paste to form the structure-modified food product that is shaped and/or textured into a generic form of the selected fruit or vegetable to form the paste. This document is not relevant for the method of realization but only for the eventual final form of the product. Document CN 102972612 describes a slice of olive cake and a related processing method, belonging to the fruit and vegetable processing sector. The slice of olive cake is composed by adopting the working sources of selection of olives, cleaning, cooking, shelling, crushing, boiling, filling of conductive trays, cooking, slicing and packaging, the processing and production phases include the use of a series of products including preservatives such as sodium isoscorbate sodium citrate and others, and additions of artificial flavourings and addition of oil etc, all additives that are intentionally avoided in the present invention as specified in the objects and description.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to describe a different method for preserving pate or cream of olives.

An even more innovative object of the present invention is to describe a new product in absolute, obtained starting from the production of pate or cream of olives but which constitutes a distortion of the product itself by changing its shape and consistency obtaining a synergistic effect.

It is still an object of the present invention to describe a product that solves all the aforementioned problems of known art. It is still an object of the present invention to describe an innovative method for obtaining the above-mentioned product, which is also completely innovative.

A further object of the present invention is to propose a less deteriorable product. Still an object of the present invention is to describe a more practical product in use for consumption. It is still an object of the present invention to describe a product that is better preserved than pate, sauce or cream of olives.

Still an object of the present invention is to propose a product as genuine as possible without the addition of dyes and preservatives unless strictly necessary. Description of the invention

These and other objects and advantages will be achieved thanks to the creation of this compact product with olive paste and innovative method for its realization.

In particular, said method for the realization of a olive-based product of solid or semi-solid consistency is adapted to obtain a product composed precisely mostly of olive paste and said method comprises, starting from the initial olive product with stone of any breed suitable for the purpose - such as (but not limited to) the taggiasca, the frantoio, the leccino, the yttran, the carolea - at least the phases of: Phase 0: collection; 01. separation of olives from leaves;

02. washing and putting in barrels with brine for a time TS with salt concentration CS% (example CS=10%-15%)

Step 1.1 Separation of the pulp from the stone using a dedicated machine like a pitting machine;

1. 2. process of grinding the pitted olives until a paste is obtained;

- A parenthesis is opened to specify that: for the realization of the pate or olive sauce from here on, the olives are grinded, oil is usually added in % of 15%-20%, stirring slowly and then it is filled into jars; this basic for each type of pate, the olives can be more or less grinded, salt can be added, and/or other; at the end when the whole is kneaded the process for the production of olive pate is finished. It should be noted in particular that in the present method oil must not be added at all otherwise the product condenses and for this method this is absolutely negative for obtaining the final product, so that the production of pate or olive sauce does not provide any useful teaching for the present invention, but rather being misleading. - The present invention, on the other hand, further includes the innovative phases of:

A1. Formation of an olive paste - only olives (i.e. no addition of oil or other vegetable substance or less liquid);

A. heating the pasta in a bain-marie for a time Tr (approx. 5 minutes +/- 2 min) until the pasteurization temperature Tp (approx. 80-85 degrees Celsius) is reached;

B. in the duration of Tr, when TRx=about 50 degrees Celsius, a thickener Add is added, (such as for example fish glue) in percentage Padd (for fish glue) of 20-28 grams (preferably 24 grams) per kilo of olive paste (for other thickeners, Padd may obviously vary);

C. the paste or compound is mixed with the thickener for a time Tmisc of approx. (5 minutes +/- from one to 3 min) to allow the thickener to dissolve and/or its correct amalgamation with the paste; this takes place after reaching (Tr=>X) (in one embodiment X=50 degrees (this is possible with special kneaders);

D. the paste thus obtained is kept at TP= pasteurization temperature for a time Ttp;

In this regard, it should be noted that pasteurisation can take place at different temperatures Tp and therefore last different times Xtp: for example Tp approx. 65C-68C for Xtp=approx. 30 minutes or Tp= approx. 85C for Xtp= approx. 5 minutes.

E. the pasteurized pasta is poured into special molds, hermetically sealed and placed to cool; (this part of the process takes place at Tamb temperature and immediately closed);

F. the molds are put to cool in refrigerators at Tempraff =approx. 4-8C to allow the thickener to operate.

G. after a time Traff has elapsed, depending on the type and size of the mold, the product is extracted from the fridge and extracted from the mold;

H. subsequently the product will be packaged in trays/casings/containers in a modified atmosphere or under vacuum;

I. the product obtained therefore has a semi-solid consistency and is kept in the fridge at a standard fridge temperature Tcons= approx.. 4-8C.

J. the olive paste product has a semi-solid form of a "thinly" or "sausage" type that can be sliced, so it can be "sliced type" or sliceable.

In particular, during the procedure, more particularly preferably between phases A1 and A (but also during other phases), one or more measurements of the pH of the paste can be carried out which at max PH must be PH max <= 4.8; in case of unsuitable PH it is possible to add citric acid (in max dose 2 gr per kilo of product - usually it is sufficient (1 gr/kg), or in a preferred variant it is possible to already acidify the olive in the brine (referred to in step 0). For ascorbic acid there is no dose limit, it is added as per known art doses. Obviously, another agent suitable for the purpose can be added as an alternative.

Note that equivalently in some embodiments the heating in phase A is carried out in a pot with mixer and with controlled temperature heating without modifying the scopes and the result of said phase.

Note that in some preferred embodiments the temperature range Tr for phase B1 is approximately from 40 degrees to 50/70 degrees so as to activate the thickener, in this variant in phase C1 when the minimum temperature Tr = 40 degrees is reached the thickener is added.

Note that in a variant in phase E1 once a homogeneous product is obtained, it is poured, for example, by means of a hopper dispenser into hermetic and pasteurisation-resistant synthetic casings: - once sealed, pasteurization is carried out;

- after pasteurization, the product is stored in a refrigerator at T>0 or refrigeration room - (no freezing because below zero it would break the texture of the thickener from which the products will be extracted at the time of portioning and packaging); - peeling of the casing and portioning by means of a special slicing machine and immediate packaging in trays in a modified atmosphere with 100% nitrogen or alternatively in a vacuum or skinpack;

- the finished product will follow the cold chain, indicatively between the final Traff: between +4 and +20 degrees (even temporary heating could reactivate the thickener and make the slices stick together)

It should be noted advantageously that in each embodiment the product is completely non-greasy, the product in fact being free of greasiness since no liquid greasy vegetable element such as oil and/or other is ever added, this as already mentioned being very advantageous and present among the objects of the present invention to increase its manageability without greasing the fingers by an end user and without causing loss of oil or substance greased by a sandwich or the like.

This should be noted that it is very advantageous with reference to the art known here mentioned above, in fact in the documents in which the method is explained in detail there is always talk of adding an oily part, for the inventor here it is a counter-sense, since with the present invention we want to propose a food as genuine as possible - that is, without adding additives unless it is strictly necessary for the regulation of the pH - and without above all adding greasy products, or no greasy plant parts, precisely because we want to propose the concept of "sliced" as if it were a "sausage" or sliced cheese, it is realized that for a user to take with his fingers an oily sliced is completely unpleasant and the user would not want to buy an oily "sliced" as it would not be manageable and would anoint everywhere, therefore the product present here, as already mentioned, is not greasy at all, making it such, as suggested in the documents above, would be a counter-sense because no user would ever want to anoint his fingers by touching the product, this being completely in contrast with one of the objects of the present invention which is to create a manageable and easily usable product as well as a normal sliced. It is advantageously noted that in a preferred embodiment, the mold is a mold preferably of square, rectangular, rounded, round shape etc. of side Lstampo. Normally (Lstampo = 4x4cm-10x10cm) and can have for example depth (Pstampo of 30- 80cm).

For example, in a preferred embodiment, Lstampo = 8x8cm and may have, for example, a depth Pstampo of 60 cm: a shape of this type allows, with a cooled product, to "cut" slices of product (the cutting height is preferably from 3mm upwards - to have a precise cut and keep the "slice" of product compact and manageable similarly to a slice of sliced.

In essence, the finished product will be similar to simplify a "thinly" of pate or olive paste.

The finished product will therefore be a sort of "sliced ready-to-use" or ready-to- use thinly, thus solving all the known art problems mentioned above: in fact, this product will be housed in comfortable trays and can be extracted in a single portion, having precisely a semi-solid consistency that can be assimilated to a thinly. Advantageously, the product will not dirty unlike the classic pate or olive sauce that as mentioned containing oil in addition leaks and dirts in its handling.

In a further advantageous way, the product will also be " lighter to taste" without containing added oil.

Advantageously, the product will be much easier to use and dose by being able to use the single slices for filling and being able to handle them one by one.

Furthermore, in an advantageous way the single portion packaging guarantees that each slice of product is perfectly preserved at the time of use, this to the advantage of the authenticity of the product and the greater affection of the customer who will be able to taste it without wasting anything, so greatly reducing the economic and food waste, a factor of decisive importance in the era in which we are.

Furthermore, in an advantageous way, this product pate, pasta or compact olive paste will be easier to use without requiring a spoon to take product from the jar and means to spread it.

In a further advantageous way, in some embodiments it will be possible to integrate other ingredients into the compact product with olive paste: it will be possible to add one or more phases, preferably (but not necessarily) after (or before phase C or D) it will be possible to add for example one or more new ingredients Iagg1-n such as: cheese in a percentage for example Fx from 20% to 49% and/or pepper powder, dry chilli powder, for example making a variant "slightly spicy" or "very spicy", or again soluble truffle flavour in percentage laggtr =1-2% and/or other added ingredients suitable for the purpose including (but not limited to) crumbled dried mushrooms, dried basil, parsley, paprika etc.

These are all production variants that give variety of taste to the finished product and allow the user to choose between multiple choices and tastes.

There will be an Integration phase FI in which:

- addition of one or more ingredients lagg to the olive paste each with its own variable percentage.

Note that to thicken the olive paste product (with or without lagg) any type of known food thickener suitable for both vegetable and animal origin and/or other purposes may be suitable.

In conclusion, we will therefore obtain a decidedly more attractive product to be presented to the customer, cleaner in use, obviously more practical for consumption, easier and faster to treat.

In particular, the preservation of the product benefits significantly by eliminating the risk of deterioration of the same and the waste fed.

Note that the packaging may be any suitable for the purpose, that is, any "thinly" or slice of olive-based or olive paste-based product - the two things are considered equivalent here - may be packaged in any way suitable for the object, that is, for example, in a single bag for each slice and then further packaged in packaging of 10, 15, 20 pieces etc, or in trays in which the single slices are in contact with each other and separated from a tissue, or positioned staggered to be taken more easily, or with any packaging suitable for the purpose, this being completely irrelevant for the scope of protection of the present invention. Even the thickness of the slice will be indifferent, and indeed in some variations a kind of unique block can also be made, (think of a salami as a shape or similar) to be sliced to taste; in that case the product will be wrapped in an airtight casing suitable for food contact. It should be noted that obviously any variant in the form of the finished product, or mold that can be used, as long as it is suitable for producing an olive-based food product of solid or semi-solid consistency, added products lagg, different thickeners, machines for carrying out the phases are to be considered mere embodiment variants all included in the scope of protection of the present invention as better defined by the attached claims.