The number of cultivated olive varieties worldwide is over 600. However, among those very few are suitable for processing and production of table-edible olives.
The suitability of a variety for the production of table olives depends on production of seeds with particular characteristics. The most important are the following:
- Olive flesh weight and seed weight ratio.
- High percentage of olive in sugar.
- Easy processing of olive (uniform color, easy debittering).
- Uniform and proper size of olive seed.
- The proper color of olive seed.
- Thin skin (peel) of olive seed.
