Even if you love olives out of the jar, chances are you wouldn't like them straight off the tree. When freshly-picked, they contain bitter-tasting chemical compounds that have to be removed via an environmentally-iffy process. According to a new study, however, there could be a greener alternative.

In order to rid olives of phenolic compounds such as oleuropein and ligstroside, producers typically soak the fruits in a dilute lye solution, then wash them several times. Not only does this use up a lot of water, but it also results in toxic wastewater being returned to the environment.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis instead looked to four types of Amberlite-brand macroporous resins, which are non-toxic resins composed of tiny porous beads. Those beads are in turn capable of adsorbing various compounds. More