This blog post is based on the 28th Practice Abstract from the second batch of Farmtopia Practice Abstracts.
For olive growers and olive oil producers, checking pesticide residues is an important part of food safety and compliance. But conventional laboratory testing can be costly and may take several days, making it difficult to get timely information when deciding whether to harvest olives, accept a small batch at an olive mill or release olive oil for further processing. SafeOlive, developed through the Farmtopia Open Call, combines rapid on-site testing with digital farm records and decision-support tools to help producers make these decisions faster.
The challenge: timely residue testing can be difficult
Olive producers must ensure that pesticide residues remain within the applicable EU Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). Residues can result from incorrect pesticide application, incomplete pre-harvest intervals or spray drift from neighbouring fields. Traditional laboratory analysis can cost around €80 – 140 per sample and may take approximately three to five days, depending on the laboratory and analytical method. For small quantities of olives or olive oil, the cost of testing can also be difficult to justify compared with the value of the batch. This creates a practical need for an affordable screening method that can provide an initial indication before a producer decides to harvest, process or send a sample for further laboratory analysis.
SafeOlive combines rapid testing with farm data
SafeOlive brings together several components:
- the B.EL.D™ portable biosensor for on-site pesticide residue screening;
- a mobile application;
- the Farmtopia Digital Field Book;
- and a Decision Support System.
The B.EL.D™ biosensor was calibrated separately for lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorpyrifos-methyl, using 400 calibration samples for each substance. Under the tested calibration conditions, the method achieved approximately 95% accuracy. Once the sample-extraction step is completed, the measurement itself takes approximately three minutes. Results are presented in a simple Above/Below MRL format, allowing users to quickly identify samples that may require further attention.
Importantly, SafeOlive is designed as a screening and decision-support solution. It does not replace accredited laboratory analysis when an official result is required for regulatory compliance, certification, enforcement, export or commercial purposes.
From a test result to a practical recommendation
The value of SafeOlive goes beyond the biosensor itself. The application combines the test results with information already relevant to farm management, including:
- pesticide applications and active substances;
- pre-harvest intervals;
- current weather conditions and five-day forecasts;
- olive fruit fly risk;
- spray application conditions;
- satellite vegetation-index information;
- and farm activities recorded in the Digital Field Book.
Based on these inputs, the system can provide practical guidance such as:
- whether olive fruit fly risk is low, medium or high;
- whether spray application conditions present a low, medium or high risk;
- the earliest possible harvest date following pesticide application;
- harvest reminders;
- and recommendations to harvest, wait, re-test or request laboratory confirmation.
This gives farmers a more complete picture instead of relying on a single measurement in isolation.
What was demonstrated during the pilot? During the pilot, 50 olive fruit and olive oil samples were tested using the SafeOlive approach. All produced Below-MRL screening results, while 25 samples were also submitted for laboratory cross-validation.
The pilot demonstrated several practical capabilities:
- approximately 95% accuracy under the tested calibration conditions;
- around three minutes for the measurement stage after sample extraction;
- on-site screening without transporting every sample to a laboratory for initial testing;
- simple Above/Below MRL result presentation;
- integration of weather forecasts and satellite monitoring;
- olive fruit fly and spray application advisories;
- calculation of pre-harvest intervals and earliest harvest dates;
- and digital recording of pesticide applications, sampling and harvesting activities.
Olive oil producers responded positively to the rapid-testing concept, particularly because it could be useful for small batches where conventional laboratory testing may not be economically justified.
What could this mean for farmers?
Used regularly, SafeOlive could help producers obtain faster information before harvest or processing and identify which samples may need more detailed laboratory analysis.Potential benefits include:
- faster decisions before harvest or batch acceptance;
- lower routine screening costs for small batches;
- better management of pre-harvest intervals;
- improved awareness of MRL compliance and food safety;
- reduced risk of harvesting too soon after pesticide application;
- better traceability through digital farm records;
- and potentially fewer rejected batches and associated economic losses.
However, the pilot did not fully measure changes in total pesticide use, overall MRL-compliance rates or rejected products over a complete spraying and harvesting cycle. These should therefore be considered expected benefits that require further field validation.
An affordable model for small and medium producers
SafeOlive is designed around a Software-as-a-Service model, with several possible approaches to make the solution accessible to smaller producers.
The preliminary model includes an indicative annual platform subscription of around €100 per hectare or a pay-per-test option of around €20 per test. Cooperatives and olive mills could also use shared-device models, allowing several farmers to share the cost of the B.EL.D™ device and platform.
Because the biosensor is portable and requires limited infrastructure, the solution could potentially be scaled across Mediterranean olive-growing regions. The digital platform can also be adapted to different national requirements, pesticide lists, pre-harvest intervals, weather thresholds, languages and local olive fruit fly risk rules.
About this Practice Abstract
Official title: An Integrated Digital Dashboard and Decision-Support System for Rapid Pesticide Residue Testing in Olives and Olive Oil (SafeOlive OC SIP)
Publisher: SK EMBIO Diagnostics Ltd
Authors: Nikolina Németh; Theofylaktos Apostolou
Contact: nikolina@embiodiagnostics.eu; theo.apo@embiodiagnostics.eu