Fresh-cut Samples Research Articles

Ultraviolet-C Light and Peracetic Acid Extend the Shelf Life of Fresh and Frozen Strawberries

The postharvest life of strawberries is short, and disinfection processes for fresh-cut and frozen strawberries are needed to address the risk posed by foodborne pathogens in this kind of product. For this, a process involving immersion in a 40 mg L−1 peracetic acid (PA) solution accompanied by the use of an emerging technology, ultraviolet-C for 2 min, was studied for its impact on strawberry quality and microbial load as a novel alternative method to chlorine sanitation. The shelf life of the washed strawberries was evaluated in fresh (whole or fresh-cut) product for 11 days at 4 °C and in product that had been frozen for 12 months at –20 °C (air or modified atmosphere, 20% CO2, 5% O2, and 75% N2). After washing, total aerobic mesophylls, yeast, and mold decreased by 0.5–1.0 log units and these counts remained low during storage. The fresh and fresh-cut fruits’ firmness (2.3 ± 0.5 N at day 11) and lightness (expressed by L*, averaging 31.0 ± 0.1) were maintained. Although antioxidant activity, expressed by the amount of radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), decreased during storage in fresh-cut samples, total ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total phenolic content, and total anthocyanin content were maintained in all the formats during storage (averaging 1.33 ± 0.04 g kg−1 ascorbic acid equivalents, 0.212 ± 0.01 g kg−1 gallic acid equivalents, and 0.03 ± 0.01 g kg−1 pelargonidine-3-glucoside). An increase in red color (from 32.1 to 39.3 a* values) and a loss of firmness of up to 46.8% was observed after the first month of frozen storage with no changes in the nutritional quality. Considering the sanitizing effect of water UV-C with peracetic acid (WUVPA) and the results obtained in the present study, the addition of this process in the production chain of strawberries could be an effective method to maintain the shelf life of the fruits, especially for fresh-cut strawberries.

The influence of edible coatings and natural antioxidants on fresh-cut potato quality, stability and oil uptake after deep fat frying.

The effect of four edible hydrocolloid coatings (carboxymethyl cellulose, chitosan, pectin and gum arabic) on fresh-cut potato's colour, pH and moisture content during storage was studied. Possibility of coating enrichment with natural olive leaf extract and sodium ascorbate was also evaluated. Coatings scored as the best ones straight after coating or during storage for 7days at 10 ± 1°C, were used for deep fat frying of potato. Chitosan was shown to cause significant decrease in pH and browning of potato strips. Pectin was classified as good coating alone but in combination with olive leaf extract showed lower quality parameters of fresh-cut samples compared to control. Only carboxymethyl cellulose and gum arabic itself or enriched with olive leaf extract or sodium ascorbate were shown not to affect colour, pH and moisture during storage. Moreover, these coatings significantly reduced fat content in deep fat fried potato strips, without influence on L*, b*, whiteness index (WI), and ΔE.

The Bactericidal Effect of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) on Fresh-cut Bell Pepper and Ginger

This study evaluated the microbiological quality of fresh-cut bell pepper and ginger, as well as the inactivation effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) on E. coli ATCC 25922 inoculated in the fresh-cut samples by varying the treatment voltages (1,200-2,400 V) and time (1–7 min). The contamination levels of mesophilic bacteria, psychrophilic bacteria, yeast and mold for bell pepper and ginger were 6.64±0.81 and 6.35±1.96 log CFU/g, 6.75±1.13 and 5.63±1.89 log CFU/g, and 4.68±0.43 and 4.57±1.25 log CFU/g respectively. Through the IPL treatment at 2,400 V for 7 min, 2.04 and 2.11 log of E. coli ATCC 25922 inoculated in bell pepper and ginger were reduced, respectively, with a negligible temperature rise (< 2.2oC). Although the reduction rate varied, the bactericidal effect of E. coli ATCC 25922 showed an increase as treatment time and voltage increased. Under the same treatment conditions, temperature increased by 1.71oC and 2.13oC for bell pepper and ginger, respectively. These results demonstrate that IPL is a suitable device for inactivating E. coli ATCC 25922 on fresh-cut bell pepper and ginger.

Sensitivity analysis of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus of mixed salad vegetables during washing step at packing house

Fresh cut vegetables are a source of minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients that are convenient foods for consumers which are following the global trend of inclination toward health food. In terms of food safety, contamination of vegetables with microorganisms can occur at multiple points along the supply chain. This study was conducted to investigate the risk factors of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus which contaminate freshly cut vegetables during production (receiving, washing, centrifuging, and packing areas) by using a statistical method for sensitivity analysis and an exposure assessment model complying with the @RiskTM software program. At washing step, the numbers of S. aureus found in the vegetables and water were 0.79 ±1.76 Log cfu/g and 0.68±1.52 Log cfu, respectively. For the equipment, the hand, and the table swabbing samples, the numbers of S. aureus were 0.48±1.07 Log cfu/25 cm2, 1.81±1.69 Log cfu/25 cm2 , and 0.54±1.21 Log cfu/25 cm2 , respectively. An amount of E. coli of 0.48±1.07 Log cfu/25 cm2 was found in the table swabbing samples at the packing area. E.coli and S. aureus were not found in any of the mixed fresh-cut salad samples; therefore, the product samples could be considered safe for consumers. The result of the sensitivity analysis showed that the temperature and pH of water samples were the important factors in the washing process. The suggested interventions included monitoring and maintaining the water temperature at 5°C; also, maintaining the pH of water between 6.5 and 7.5 could help to reduce pathogen contamination of freshly cut vegetables.

Development of a modified enrichment method for the rapid immunoassay of Escherichia coli O157 strains in fresh cut vegetables

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a pathogen that colonizes human intestinal epithelial membrane and causes a characteristic lesion and severe syndromes, including diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. It is difficult to isolate and identify this pathogen. The purpose of this research was to establish a two-stage enrichment method for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in fresh cut vegetables. Fresh cut vegetable samples were first enriched in modified EC broth with novo-biocin at 42°C for 6 hr, and then transferred to sorbitol MacConkey broth containing cefixime and tellurite at 35°C for 18 hr. Finally, the enriched broth was verified for the existence of E. coli O157 by using an automated enzyme-linked fluorescence immunoassay (mini-VIDAS) or an immunostrip test. This two-stage enrichment method would decrease the false-positive E. coli O157 tested by immunostrip or mini-VIDAS. The pathogen in food sample could be as low as 10 CFU/g and selectively enriched to 105 or 107 CFU/mL required for the detection by mini-VIDAS or immunostrip. The presence of E. coli O157:H7 in enriched broth was confirmed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thus, the two-stage enrichment method can be used to rapidly screen food samples for E. coli O157.

Relationships among expression of six representative genes, bacterial multiplication, color changes of fresh cut cabbages during storage with focus on accumulated storage temperature

Fresh cut cabbages are popular in Japanese cuisine. However, the quality of such cabbages declines rapidly. This study examined the potential of applying gene expression analysis for quality assessment of fresh cut cabbages during storage at different environmental conditions. Fresh cut samples were stored at temperatures of 0, 10, and 20 °C. At different time points, bacterial multiplication, color changes, and expression of six genes in the stored samples were evaluated, with a focus on the accumulated storage temperature. The bacterial population and color parameter of all the samples changed with increasing accumulated storage temperature value, irrespective of the actual storage temperature. Further, expression of the gene endoglucanase showed high correlation with the accumulated storage temperature values (R2 > 0.95), whereas that of PR protein was highly correlated with the multiplication of general bacteria (R2 > 0.99). Expression of the other genes was not stable under different storage temperature conditions. Our results indicate that at least partial assessment and estimation of quality changes of fresh cut cabbages under different storage conditions can be conducted by gene expression analysis.

Influence of chitosan coating and packaging materials on the quality characteristics of fresh-cut cucumber

In this study, the influence of chitosan coating and packaging materials on the quality characteristics of fresh-cut cucumber during storage was examined. Fresh cucumber was cut into 10 mm thick slices and then coated with chitosan through immersion in 1% and 2% chitosan solutions while control samples (uncoated) were immersed in distilled water. Coated and uncoated fresh-cut samples were packaged in three different materials: 60 μm low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film, polypropylene tray with 65 μm casted polypropylene (CPP) film and 110 μm composite polyamide-polyethylene (PAPE) film, and then sealed and stored at 5℃ for 12 days. During this storage period, the gas composition, visual quality, weight loss, firmness, total soluble solids, pH, color, and microbial quality of the samples were evaluated periodically. The fresh-cut samples coated with chitosan recorded better quality characteristics compared to those of uncoated samples. This result confirmed the significance of chitosan coating for preserving the quality of fresh-cut fruits. The samples stored in LDPE and CPP packaging materials without chitosan coating showed a decline in quality, while PAPE enhanced the barrier properties of chitosan coating and consequently improved the quality of fresh-cut cucumber during its storage. At the end of the storage period, 2% chitosan-coated and PAPE-packaged fresh-cut cucumber samples showed the best quality characteristics. Hence, we recommend the combined application of chitosan coating with PAPE package for better preserving the quality of fresh-cut cucumber.

Physico-chemical quality and microbial safety evaluation of ready-to-eat freshcut watermelon and pineapple sold in Imus, Cavite, Philippines

The study aimed to evaluate the physico-chemical quality and microbial safety of ready-to -eat fresh-cut watermelon and pineapple sold in selected wet markets and supermarkets in Imus, Cavite. These two fruits are the top-selling fresh-cut fruits in the area based on a prior survey conducted. Higher water soaking scores were obtained from fresh-cut fruits in wet markets while lower visual quality scores were obtained from wet market samples compared with those from supermarkets. Comparing fresh-cuts from whole fruits, lower vitamin C content was observed on fresh-cut samples than whole fruit samples. For Total plate count of fresh-cut watermelons, no sample exceeded the maximum tolerance level (107 CFU/mL) for the production day for the supermarket samples while 3 out of 6 samples from the wet markets had exceeding levels. For pineapple, the number of samples which exceeded the tolerance levels were 4 out of 6 from supermarkets and 3 out of 6 from wet markets. For yeast and molds count, (maximum tolerance level is 104 ), all watermelon samples did not have exceeding levels while 5 out of 6 samples both from supermarkets and wet markets had exceeding levels. For Total coliforms, maximum tolerance is 102 . All watermelon samples exceeded this level. For pineapple, all from supermarkets and 3 out of 6 samples from wet markets exceeded the levels. All fresh-cut pineapple and watermelon samples were negative for Escherichia coli. For watermelon, 2 samples each from supermarkets and wet markets were positive for Salmonella while for pineapple, 1 sample from the supermarket and 3 from wet markets turned out positive.

Nutritional and quality changes of minimally processed faba (Vicia faba L.) beans during storage: Effects of domestic microwaving

The present study evaluated the effect of different sanitizers (an edible coating (EC) based on sucrose fatty acid esters, and UV–C (3 kJ m–2), compared with a control consisting of a conventional NaOCl washing (CTRL)) on the quality changes of fresh–cut (FC) faba (Vicia faba L.) seeds stored for 10 d at 4 °C. Additionally, domestic cooking of samples was assessed by periodically microwaving (3 min, 700 W) during FC samples storage to obtain a ready–to–eat product. The modified atmosphere gas composition at the steady was the same for all treatments. The EC treatment better retained vitamin C, total phenolics content (TPC) and tannins, while UV–C better maintained the sugars levels of samples. EC and UV–C controlled mesophilic and enterobacteria growth with 1 and 2–log units lower contents than CTRL after 10 d at 4 °C. Microwaving reduced the microbial loads below detection limits. EC or UV–C treatments extended the shelf–life of fresh–cut faba seeds from 7 to 10 d at 4 °C comparing with CTRL. As expected, microwaving decreased the bioactive compounds contents, but retained the quality of faba seeds allowing to obtain a ready–to–eat tasteful food.

Combination of Hydrophobic Filtration and Enrichment Methods for Detecting &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Bacillus cereus&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; in Fresh-Cut Cabbage

This study developed a rapid detection method for Bacillus cereus in fresh-cut cabbages. Fresh-cut cabbage samples were inoculated at 1-, 2- and 3-Log CFU/g, and pathogens were enriched in tryptic soy broth containing 0.15% polymyxin B at 30oC, 37oC, and 42oC to determine the detection limit and appropriate enrichment temperature for multiplex PCR detection. Enriched bacterial cells in enrichment broth were collected in a hydrophobic filter prior to DNA extraction for multiplex PCR. Filters were resuspended in distilled water, and DNA was extracted from the suspension. DNA samples were further analyzed by multiplex PCR. Detection limit of multiplex PCR was 5-Log CFU/mL. B. cereus cell counts were higher (P < 0.05) at 42oC than other temperatures. Detection rate of 1-, 2-, and 3-Log CFU/g inoculated samples were 60%, 80%, and 100% after enrichment respectively. However, when enriched samples were filtered with hydrophobic membrane filter, detection rates became 100%, regardless of inoculation level. Results indicate a combination of enrichment with hydrophobic filtration improves rapid detection efficiency of B. cereus in fresh-cut cabbage by multiplex PCR.

Evaluation of Hot Water, Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide, and Chlorine Treatments in Combination with an Edible Coating for Enhancing Safety, Quality, and Shelf Life of Fresh-Cut Cantaloupes

Fresh-cut cantaloupes have been implicated in numerous foodborne outbreaks of salmonellosis. Commercial aqueous wash treatments are limited in their ability to inactivate Salmonella enterica. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of hot water, gaseous chlorine dioxide, and chlorine on enhancing microbial safety and sensory qualities of fresh-cut cantaloupes. Cantaloupes were inoculated with an S. enterica cocktail (serovars Michigan, Mbandaka, and Poona) and treated with chlorine (200 ppm of free chlorine) for 40 min, 5 mg/L gaseous chlorine dioxide for 4.5 h, and hot water (76.1°C) for 3 min. Fresh-cut cantaloupes were prepared from treated whole cantaloupes and divided into two sets; one set of samples was treated with NatureSeal to evaluate its effect on shelf life and sensory quality and the second set (control) was packed without further treatment. Fresh-cut samples were stored at 4°C for up to 21 days. For the sensory quality parameters analyzed (color, water loss, and texture), the samples treated with NatureSeal had significantly better quality ( P < 0.05) than did the control samples. All treatments significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) the pathogen populations on the rind of the whole melons and on the fresh-cut samples prepared from the treated melons. All fresh-cut samples prepared from melons treated with hot water were negative for Salmonella throughout the storage period except for the samples treated with hot water and NatureSeal and evaluated on day 7. The fresh-cut samples prepared from melons treated with chlorine dioxide and chlorine were negative for Salmonella after 21 days of storage. These results provide a framework to producers of fresh-cut cantaloupes for the potential use of hot water as an intervention treatment in combination with NatureSeal for enhancing the microbiological safety and quality of this commodity.

Biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644 on fresh-cut tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) using nisin combined with organic acids.

The biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut tomato using nisin and organic acids was investigated. Fresh-cut samples inoculated with 108 CFU/mL of L. monocytogenes, treated with nisin (5,000 IU/mL), a combination of nisin and organic acids (acetic and citric acids at 3 and 5% each), with chlorine at 200 ppm as a control, and stored for six days at 4, 10, and 25°C were used to evaluate certain physicochemical qualities (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solid content, vitamin C content, and color). Nisin treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced bacterial population by 1.91-3.07 log CFU/mL. Nisin-citric acid combination provided 2.65-3.29 log CFU/mL reduction, while nisin-acetic acid combination provided 2.93-4.15 log CFU/mL reduction. The control treatment provided <1-2 fold log reductions. Slight variations in physicochemical properties of fresh-cut tomato were observed. Nisin and organic acids can be used to improve the microbial safety of fresh-cut tomato.

Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide in Combination with Minimal Thermal Treatment for Reducing Bacterial Populations on Cantaloupe Rind Surfaces and Transfer to Fresh-Cut Pieces

Surface structure and biochemical characteristics of bacteria and produce play a major role in how and where bacteria attach, complicating decontamination treatments. Whole cantaloupe rind surfaces were inoculated with Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes at 10(7) CFU/ml. Average population size of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes recovered after surface inoculation was 4.8 ± 0.12, 5.1 ± 0.14, and 3.6 ± 0.13 log CFU/cm(2), respectively. Inoculated melons were stored at 5 and 22°C for 7 days before washing treatment interventions. Intervention treatments used were (i) water (H2O) at 22°C, (ii) H2O at 80°C, (iii) 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at 22°C, and (iv) a combination of 3% H2O2 and H2O at 80°C for 300 s. The strength of pathogen attachment (SR value) at days 0, 3, and 7 of storage was determined, and then the efficacy of the intervention treatments to detach, kill, and reduce transfer of bacteria to fresh-cut pieces during fresh-cut preparation was investigated. Populations of E. coli O157:H7 attached to the rind surface at significantly higher levels (P < 0.05) than Salmonella and L. monocytogenes, but Salmonella exhibited the strongest attachment (SR value) at all days tested. Washing with 3% H2O2 alone led to significant reduction (P < 0.05) of bacteria and caused some changes in bacterial cell morphology. A combination treatment with H2O and 3% H2O2 at 8°C led to an average 4-log reduction of bacterial pathogens, and no bacterial pathogens were detected in fresh-cut pieces prepared from this combination treatment, including enriched fresh-cut samples. The results of this study indicate that the microbial safety of fresh-cut pieces from treated cantaloupes was improved at day 6 of storage at 5°C and day 3 of storage at 10°C.

Microbial Status of Fresh Cut Cooking Banana Variety Alukesel (Musa acuminata × Musa balbisiana, ABB Group) as Affected by Pre-Treatments

Fresh cut (minimally processed) cooking banana variety Alukesel was subjected to different pre-treatments, packed in polystyrene packages and stored at 5-7 0 C for a week. Effect of several identified pre-treatments on Total Plate Count (TPC) and Total Yeast and Mould counts (TYM) were evaluated. Bacteria isolated from plates were identified using biochemical tests and molecular tools. In pre-treated samples, microbial counts were within safe-to-consume limits. Bacillus cereus , Enterobacter ludwigii and Bacillus thuringiensis were identified from fresh cut samples using molecular tools. Citric acid at 3% w/v effectively controlled bacteria, yeasts and moulds and this observation was significantly different from the control (p The Journal of Agricultural Sciences, vol.11, No 1, January 2016, pp.24-34

Purple-Fleshed Sweet Potato Cubes Drying in a Microwave-Assisted Spouted Bed Dryer

Purple-fleshed sweet potatos (PFSP) were loaded into a laboratory-scale, microwave-assisted spouted bed with a coating of sodium alginate (SA) of 0, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.8% (w/w) for both steam-blanching pretreated and fresh-cut raw samples. The drying curves, rehydration ratio, and maximum penetrating forces were studied for final products; color changes and anthocyanin level were also taken into consideration. It was concluded that coating processing forms barriers to moisture content, which changes the dielectric properties of PFSP cubes and shortens the drying time; however, coating PFSP cubes with SA did not lead to a porous microstructure in the final products. The final hardness was high and rehydration ratio was low. Steam-blanching was helpful for color and anthocyanin-level retention compared with raw samples. In sum, microwave-assisted spouted bed (MWSB) drying of PFSP cubes is not an ideal processing method, even with coating treatment, but blanching is an approach to obtain products with high anthocyanin level and fine purple color.

Predictive modeling for growth of non- and cold-adapted Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe at different storage temperatures.

The aim of this study was to determine the growth kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes, with and without cold-adaption, on fresh-cut cantaloupe under different storage temperatures. Fresh-cut samples, spot inoculated with a 4-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes (∼3.2 log CFU/g), were exposed to constant storage temperatures held at 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 °C. All growth curves of L. monocytogenes were fitted to the Baranyi, modified Gompertz, and Huang models. Regardless of conditions under which cells grew, the time needed to reach 5 log CFU/g decreased with the elevated storage temperature. Experimental results showed that there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the maximum growth rate k (log CFU/g h(-1) ) and lag phase duration λ (h) between the cultures of L. monocytogenes with or without previous cold-adaption treatments. No distinct difference was observed in the growth pattern among 3 primary models at various storage temperatures. The growth curves of secondary modeling were fitted on an Arrhenius-type model for describing the relationship between k and temperature of the L. monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe from 10 to 30 °C. The root mean square error values of secondary models for non- and cold-adapted cells were 0.018, 0.021, and 0.024, and 0.039, 0.026, and 0.017 at the modified Gompertz, Baranyi, and Huang model, respectively, indicating that these 3 models presented the good statistical fit. This study may provide valuable information to predict the growth of L. monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupes at different storage conditions. Listeriosis has occurred and increased along with the increased demand of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. This study was conducted to predict the growth of non- and cold-adapted L. monocytogenes on fresh-cut cantaloupe at different temperature using mathematical model. These results can be helpful for risk assessments of L. monocytogenes in fresh-cut cantaloupe. This study provides valuable information to food handlers to choose proper storage temperatures for extending the shelf-life of fresh-cut cantaloupe.

Monitoring of phytochemicals in fresh and fresh-cut vegetables: A comparison

Bearing in mind that fresh-cut market is currently the fastest growing subsector in the food industry, a comparison of the levels of phytochemicals in fresh and fresh-cut vegetables has been carried out. Thus, several families of phytochemicals, such as phenolic acids, isoflavones, flavones, flavonols and glucosinolates were determined in fresh and fresh-cut samples including tomato, carrot, grape, eggplant and broccoli. Both type of products have potential and similar beneficial properties, regarding its content as phytochemicals, except tomato, which should be consumed as fresh. Other factors such as commercial presentation (sliced, grated, diced) and storage conditions (temperature and light) were evaluated observing that in eggplant, the content of phenolic acids is statistically different depending on the presentation. On the other hand, the content of phytochemicals was higher when fresh-cut carrots were stored at 4°C regardless of the presence or absence of light. Multivariate analysis, based on cluster analysis was used as a first approach to distinguish between fresh and fresh-cut samples, obtaining good results except for eggplant and carrot.

Influence of cutting size and packaging materials on the quality of fresh-cut winter squash (var. Ajijimang)

Winter squash (var. Ajijimang) washed in 100 mg.L-1 chlorine water and cut into 4 and 8 parts was packed in different packaging materials, 35 μm micro-perforated P-Plus (MPP), 50 μm polyethylene (PE), 80 μm nylon/PE (Ny/PE), and 90 μm PE films separately. Fresh-cut samples were then stored at 10℃ for up to 17 days. The 35 μm MPP having a high oxygen transmission rate (OTR) has the most stable gas exchange ratio while the 80 μm Ny/PE was the most unstable. Firmness of the mesocarp remained acceptable until the end of storage regardless of the cutting size. Soluble solids content (SSC) remained stable and even slightly increased to a certain extent within 6 days. An increase in pH after 10-day storage suggested the activity of microorganisms within the packaging films. Strong off-odor was detected in samples packaged in 80 μm Ny/PE film after 13 days of storage. Mold was observed in all 1/4 cut samples on day 13 except the sample packaged with 80 μm Ny/PE film. However, no mold was found in all 1/8 cut samples except 35 μm MPP film on day 13. Severe mold invasion was apparent on the onset of the 17-day storage in 35 μm MPP film and 50 μm PE film. Samples cut into 8 parts and packed in 80 μm Ny/PE and 90 μm PE films had less mold incidence compared with other two packaging films. Fresh-cut winter squash packaged in 90 μm PE film maintained quality with shelf-life of 10 days at 10℃. Winter squash as fresh-cut commodity, with the right packaging material has the potential for longer period of storage in retail stores.

In VitroandIn VivoFlavor Release from Intact and Fresh‐Cut Apple in Relation with Genetic, Textural, and Physicochemical Parameters

Flavor release from 6 commercial apple cultivars (Fuji, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Morgen Dallago, and Red Delicious) under static conditions (intact or fresh-cut samples) and during consumption of fresh-cut samples (nosespace) was determined by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Textural (firmness, fracturability, flesh elasticity, and rupture) and physicochemical (pH, acidity, and water content) properties of the apples were also measured. Static headspace analysis of intact fruits revealed Fuji and Granny Smith apples had the lowest concentration for all measured flavor compounds (esters, aldehydes, alcohols, and terpenes), whereas Red Delicious apples had the highest. Fresh-cut samples generally showed a significant increase in total volatile compounds with acetaldehyde being most abundant. However, compared to intact fruits, cut Golden and Red Delicious apples had a lower intensity for ester related peaks. Five parameters were extracted from the nosespace data of peaks related to esters (m/z 43, 61), acetaldehyde (m/z 45), and ethanol (m/z 47): 2 associated with mastication (duration of mastication-t(con); time required for first swallowing event-t(swal)), and 3 related with in-nose volatile compound concentration (area under the curve-AUC; maximum intensity-I(max); time for achieving I(max)-t(max)). Three different behaviors were identified in the nosespace data: a) firm samples with low AUC and t(swal) values (Granny Smith, Fuji), b) mealy samples with high AUC, I(max), t(swal) values, and low t(con) (Morgen Dallago, Golden Delicious), and c) firm samples with high AUC and I(max) values (Red Delicious). Strengths and limitations of the methodology are discussed. Volatile compounds play a fundamental role in the perceived quality of food. Using apple cultivars, this research showed that in vivo proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) could be used to determine the relationship between the release of volatile flavor compounds and the physicochemical parameters of a real food matrix. This finding suggests that in vivo PTR-MS coupled with traditional physicochemical measurements could be used to yield information on flavor release from a wide range of food matrices and help in the development of strategies to enhance food flavor and quality.

EVALUATION OF OZONATED WATER AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT TO CHLORINE IN FRESH-CUT 'ROCHA' PEAR PROCESSING

ISHS XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Postharvest Technology in the Global Market EVALUATION OF OZONATED WATER AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT TO CHLORINE IN FRESH-CUT 'ROCHA' PEAR PROCESSING