• Study the effect of photostimulation, through the emission of LED light (red), on the duration of natural fermentation of table olives;
• Evaluate the impact of photostimulation on physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of table olives;
• Study the decontaminating effect of LED light (blue) to reduce the microbial load of olives at the end of the fermentation process, allowing their packaging in a brine with reduced salt content;
• Study the effect of blue LED light in the decontamination of brine, in order to be reused in the production process of table olives and in the production of salicornia;
• Stagger the fermentation process with the application of photostimulation;
• Demonstrate the feasibility of producing olives packaged in low salt brine on an industrial scale;
• Demonstrate in relevant scale the production of salicornia in hydroponics using brine water.

• Study of the photostimulation of olive fermentation;
• Study of packaging olives in brine with low salt content;
• Study of the valorization of brine resulting from the fermentation process in the production of salicornia;
• Study of the different LED lighting systems applied in table olive processing;
• Demonstration of the potential of developed products and processes;
• Dissemination, communication and exploitation of project results;
• Technical management of the project.

It is intended to obtain 4 new products and 4 new processes, namely:
i) Processes:

• Obtain a microbiological control process of table olives before packaging, using blue LED lighting, in order to substantially reduce the microbial load and consequently reduce the amount of salt, at least 30%, to be used for its conservation over shelf time;
• Develop a decontamination process, using blue LED lighting, with the objective of reducing 99% the microbial load of the discarded brine at the end of the fermentation process, considering its reuse in the fermentation process of olives;
• Develop a production process of salicornia in hydroponics using the highest possible percentage of brine (before and after decontamination with blue LED lighting) resulting from the fermentation process, maximizing the agronomic performance of the plant.

ii) Products:

• Obtain Negrinha DOP Freixo Canned Olive packaged in brine with lower salt content than the commercially available (ACFEC company currently sells olives with NaCl <8%, and the objective of the project is to use a brine less than 5%);
• Develop 3 LED lighting systems, one with the aim of stimulating fermentation and adaptation to bioreactors for table olive fermentation (reduce by at least 3 months the fermentation time) and the other two aiming to reduce by 99% the microbial load of olives and brine at the end of the fermentation process.