Qualitative Improvement of Olive Oil Through Innovation
Information Days by the MUCH-BETTER OIL Operational Group in Chora and Gargalianoi, Messinia
With the goal of presenting and disseminating the results of the pilot project developed in the region – aimed at enhancing both the quality and quantity of olive oil production – the information events of the MUCH-BETTER OIL Operational Group were successfully held on 10–11April in Chora and Gargalianoi, Messinia. The central theme of the event was the development of a modern plant protection program against olive anthracnose disease.
The events were organized within the framework of the approved pilot project of the MUCH-BETTER OIL Operational Group, funded by Submeasure 16.1–16.2 of Measure 16 ‘Cooperation’ of the Rural Development Program (RDP) 2014–2022. Members of the Operational Group include the Laboratory of Agricultural Pharmacology of the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), the Institute of Biosciences & Applications of the National Center for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos,’ the agricultural cooperatives “Nileas” and “Elaionas,” and GAIA EPICHEIREIN, which also serves as the coordinating body.
Speakers and Opening Remarks
George Kokkinos, president of the “Nileas” Agricultural Cooperative, and Nikos Athanasopoulos, president of the “Elaionas” Agricultural Cooperative, welcomed the producers and speakers who attended the events. They spoke about the successful outcome of the pilot project and emphasized its importance for their region, given the significant problems caused by olive anthracnose disease.
Nikos Papakonstantinou, Director of Rural Development and Project Management at GAIA EPICHEIREIN, presented the interventions of Pillar 2 of the CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 and highlighted the key changes of the new CAP compared to the 2014–2022 programming period. He also noted that Measure 16 ‘Cooperation’ of the RDP 2014–2022 creates vital connections between the scientific community and the agricultural sector.
Maria Korres, a member of the Directorate of Rural Development and Project Management at GAIA EPICHEIREIN, spoke about Measure 16 and the Operational Group’s action plan implemented through it. She outlined the roles of the group members and emphasized the importance of disseminating the pilot project’s results, as enabled by Measure 16.
Strategic Adaptation to Climate Change is Essential
Assistant Professor Konstantinos Aliferis, Director of the Laboratory of Agricultural Pharmacology at AUA, stressed that adopting modern practices and innovative methods is essential for maintaining sustainable and competitive farms. He underlined the need for adaptation to climate change, stating that it “is here to stay.”
Project Methodology and Results
Sotiris Giannakaris, a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of Agricultural Pharmacology at AUA, discussed the implementation methodology of the pilot project and its results. Specifically, strains of the olive anthracnose fungus population were isolated from olive trees of the “Nileas” and “Elaionas” Agricultural Cooperatives, and their resistance to approved active substances in olive crop protection products was studied.
Based on the results, the Laboratory developed customized plant protection programs against olive anthracnose. A second axis of the project involved the metabolomic analysis of olive oil from the Operational Group’s cooperatives. In collaboration with ‘Demokritos’, the olive oils were analyzed using metabolomics to assess potential quality improvements resulting from the protection measures taken.
Finally, Angeliki Panagiotopoulou, head of the NMR Liquid Samples Spectroscopy Laboratory at ‘Demokritos’, presented the innovative NMR spectroscopy method and explained how it is used for the metabolomic analysis of olive oil.
