ISHS Acta Horticulturae 172: Composts as Horticultural Substrates
CHEMICAL DETERMINATION OF FATTY ACIDS, ORGANIC ACIDS AND PHENOLS, DURING OLIVE MARC COMPOSTING PROCESS. |
| Authors: | V. Estaún, C. Calvet, M. Pagés, J.M. Grases |
| Abstract:
During olive marc composting process, samples were periodically extracted for chemical analysis of fatty acids, organic acids and phenols by either Gas Chromatography or High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Quantitative changes were observed as the composting process was carried out, and progressively, fatty acids, organic acids and phenol levels in compost extracts decreased. After two months, most of the identified compounds became non detectable, but some of them were still present in the compost at concentrations proved to cause phytotoxicity: acetic acid surpassed 600 ppm in composted olive marc with core fraction "orujillo", and was near 400 ppm in "pulpa", olive marc without core fraction. Oleic acid response was near 300 ppm in both. After 120 days, all the identified potentially phytotoxic compounds were not detectable by our methods. The chromatograms of the olive marc compost extracts were thus found to be an efficient measure of composting degradation of olive marc. | |
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