All olives are green and firm initially. It is while ripening that they take on a yellow-green color, then reddish-pink, then purple, and finally completely black. The more they mature, the more they also soften and the more their amount of oil increase. During this maturation process, the compounds polyphenols which give the strong notes of bitterness and spiciness to the olives are broken down and considerably diminished; so the oil quality also decreases. The greener the olives, the less oil they contain, but best quality the oil is.
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