Abstract
Recently, consumers’ demand for fresh, nutritious, and convenient food has shown a significant rise. This trend has forced increased sales of minimally processed and/or pre-packed fruit- and vegetable-based products. New product development and the diversification of plant-based foods have supported this growth. The food production sector should balance this requirement with the necessity to provide safe food with extended shelf life while meeting consumer demands for novel, nutritious, and affordable food products. The use of alternative “soft hurdles” may result in a decrease in the rate of food deterioration and spoilage attributed to microbial activity or other physiological/chemical degradation reactions. The objective of the article is to provide a systematic review of the preservative effect of the available hurdles implemented during processing and packaging of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, focusing on recent applications aiming at improving product quality and prolonging their limited shelf life.
Highlights
Fruits and vegetables play a significant role in healthy human nutrition and possess a high ranking on the list of consumer priorities
The objective of the article is to provide a systematic review of the preservative effect of the available hurdles implemented during processing and packaging of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, focusing on recent applications aiming at improving product quality and prolonging their limited shelf life
This category of hurdles is very important for fresh-cut fruits and minimally processed plant tissues because it includes agents used for washing and sanitizing purposes [50]
Summary
Fruits and vegetables play a significant role in healthy human nutrition and possess a high ranking on the list of consumer priorities. The individual hurdles may be applied concurrently or sequentially, depending on the means of hurdle used and the preservation method of the product [10] The application of this approach (reported as well as combined processes or barrier technology) has shown its potential as very effective on a wide range of food product types [10,11], as the intelligent combination of hurdles may secure the microbial safety and quality as well as the organoleptic parameters, nutritional value and economic feasibility of a product. This may result in a dramatically different product with unique, new appearance and taste properties. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the main degradation modes of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables and critically describe the available hurdles implemented during their processing and packaging, focusing on recent applications
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