The present study investigated the morphology of fresh and brine-cured table olives (TOs) as well as the changes that occur when drupes are attacked by the fruit fly Bactrocera oleae. Morphological analyses were performed using light microscopy (LM) and environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS). The LM analysis was carried out with visible light to evaluate sections stained with either PAS or Azan mixtures as well as unstained sections observed at fluorescence microscopy. The results of the analyses showed that: i) Azan and PAS staining played a useful complementary role, increasing the information provided by the histological analysis. Indeed, in both fresh and brine-cured TOs, epidermal layers and mesocarpal cells were clearly revealed, including sclereid cells. The histological analysis allowed also to identifying the presence of secoiridoid-biophenols (seco-BPs) in both cell walls and vacuoles, as well as in the drupe regions that had been attacked by fruit flies, where they were found at higher concentrations; ii) in fresh and brine-cured olives, the excitation at 480 nm revealed the distribution of the fluorophores, among which the seco-BP are enclosed; iii) the ESEM-EDS analysis revealed the natural morphology of fresh olives, including the dimensions of their cell layers and the size and depth of the mechanical barriers of suberized or necrotic cells around the larva holes. In addition, the elemental composition of regions of interest of the drupe was determined in fresh and brine-cured TOs. The results highlighted the effectiveness of combined use of LM and ESEM-EDS in order to obtain a picture, as complete as possible, of the structural morphology of TOs. Such analytical combined approach can be used to support multidisciplinary studies aimed at the selection of new cultivars more resistant to fly attack.

本研究调查了新鲜和盐水腌制的食用橄榄（TOs）的形态，以及当果蝇受到果蝇小实蝇攻击时核果发生的变化。。使用光学显微镜（LM）和环境扫描电子显微镜结合能量色散光谱（ESEM-EDS）进行形态分析。用可见光进行LM分析，以评估用PAS或Azan混合物染色的切片以及在荧光显微镜下观察到的未染色切片。分析结果表明：i）Azan和PAS染色起着有益的补充作用，增加了组织学分析提供的信息。实际上，在新鲜和盐水固化的TOs中，都清楚地发现了表皮层和中腕细胞，包括硬化细胞。组织学分析还可以确定细胞壁和液泡中以及在果蝇侵袭的核果区域中都存在secrididoid-biophenols（seco-BPs），在较高浓度下发现它们的地方；ii）在新鲜和盐水腌制的橄榄中，在480 nm处的激发表明荧光团的分布，其中封闭了seco-BP；iii）ESEM-EDS分析揭示了新鲜橄榄的自然形态，包括其细胞层的尺寸以及幼虫孔周围被淹没或坏死的细胞的机械屏障的大小和深度。此外，在新鲜和盐水固化的TO中确定了核果感兴趣区域的元素组成。结果强调了结合使用LM和ESEM-EDS的有效性，以获得尽可能完整的TOs结构形态图。