Büyükbelen Tekir Olive: a table olive born from grafting two cultivars
Registered in 2024. The Eşek (Ödemiş) cultivar is grafted onto Uslu seedling rootstock. The flesh does not soften after processing, giving a long shelf life.
Most olive registrations rest on a single cultivar. Büyükbelen Tekir Olive rests on the union of two — and its definition includes the grafting method itself.
The record
| Registration no | 1611 |
| Registration date | 08.07.2024 |
| Protection from | 21.10.2021 |
| Type | Designation of origin |
| Registered by | Manisa Commodity Exchange |
| Area | The Büyükbelen and Çullugörece neighbourhoods of Saruhanlı, Manisa |
An area as narrow as two neighbourhoods is striking — among the smallest of any Turkish olive registration.
How it is obtained
The definition gives the method in one sentence: the Eşek (Ödemiş) cultivar grafted onto Uslu seedling rootstock, or grafted directly onto wild olive rootstock.
The product is therefore neither Uslu nor Eşek on its own, but a specific union of the two. We described the technique in grafting olives.
The distinguishing trait: firmness
What the certificate foregrounds is not flavour but texture:
t; The flesh is firm and does not soften after processing. Its shelf life is therefore long.
The commonest fault in table olives is softening in brine. Flesh that stays firm serves both transport and shelf life. There is a cost: the stone does not separate easily from the fruit.
Because the fruit is heavy and the stone large, it is classed as large. It reaches the market whole, unpitted, as cracked or scored olives.
Measured values
| Criterion | Value |
|---|---|
| Oil content | 6 – 12% |
| Moisture | 60 – 70% |
| Ash | 2 – 4% |
| pH | 4.5 – 5 |
| Oleuropein | 600 – 800 mg/kg |
| Oleic acid (C18:1) | 68 – 75% |
| Palmitic acid (C16:0) | 12 – 17% |
| Linoleic acid (C18:2) | 7 – 11% |
An oil content as low as 6-12% is unsurprising: this is a green table olive and does not go to oil. Fruit maturity falls in September-October, making it early.
Salt levels in the processed product differ by form: scored olives carry 4-5% brine salt and 2-4% in the fruit; cracked olives 5-6% and 3-4%.
⚠ The certificate also records the cultivar's weakness: sensitive to cold.
In short
Büyükbelen Tekir Olive is a table olive confined to two neighbourhoods, obtained by grafting, and resting its distinctiveness on flesh that stays firm after processing.
Source: Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geographical Indication Registration Certificate No 1611 — Büyükbelen Tekir Zeytini.
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