Fresh fruits and vegetables—An overview on applied methodologies to improve its quality and safety (original) (raw)
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Methods to Reduce/Eliminate Pathogens from Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2003
In response to the current public health concerns with the microbiological safety of fresh and fresh-cut produce, researchers have investigated the efficiency of numerous physical, chemical, and biological methods for reducing the microbiological load of produce. This chapter focuses on this growing area of research with a particular emphasis on human pathogenic microorganisms; however, research related to mitigation treatment effects on nonpathogenic organisms is also included. There have been several reviews that address this topic and they are pointed out throughout the chapter; therefore, the focus here is on the latest and most significant research findings. A matrix (Table V-1) summarizing the characteristics of intervention methods is also included at the end of the chapter.
Food Preservation and Packaging - Recent Process and Technological Advancements [Working Title]
Fresh cut fruits and vegetable have gained penetration and popularity since last few years. These fresh cut commodities are in great demand among the consumers as these are ready-to-eat fresh and provide all essential nutrients. The increasing trend in fresh cut produce tends to increase the investment in research and development to address various issues regarding the product supply, refrigeration, packaging technology, processing and shelf life extension. Cutting and peeling causes physical damage to the raw fruit and vegetable that make them more perishable. In these review latest developments that plays the key role in extending the shelf life of the fresh cut are discussed. These technologies help in reducing the microbial load over the fresh cut without much altering the physicochemical properties. Future researches should consider various combined technologies which allow better preservation as well as supplemented with nutritional factors.
Coatings, 2015
The main topic of this paper is a focus on some non-conventional tools to preserve the microbiological and physico-chemical quality of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. The quality of fresh-cut foods is the result of a complex equilibrium involving surface microbiota, storage temperature, gas in the headspace and the use of antimicrobials. This paper proposes a short overview of some non-conventional approaches able to preserve the quality of this kind of product, with a special focus on some new ways, as follows: (1) use of edible or antimicrobial-containing coatings (e.g., chitosan-based coatings) on fruits or vegetables; (2) alternative modified atmospheres (e.g., high O2-modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)) or the use of essential oils in the headspace; (3) conditioning solutions with antimicrobials or natural compounds for fruit salad; and (4) biopreservation and use of a probiotic coating.
Cogent Food & Agriculture, 2015
Fruits and vegetables comprise an essential part of human diet as they are the major source of dietary nutrients of great importance. Consumption of fruits has been found to counteract many of the chronic diseases, including cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, recommendations for a balanced diet must include the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Consumers in developing countries have become more concerned about the nutritional and sensory aspects as well as the safety of the food they eat due to growing health awareness. At the same time, consumer demand for convenience products is increasing and so is the demand for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Fresh-cut market has expanded considerably in recent years. However, quality and safety of such products are an issue of concern as these products can act as vehicles for transmitting infectious diseases. Furthermore, fresh-cut produce is more susceptible to spoilage and can facilitate rapid growth of spoilage microorganisms as well as the microorganisms of public health significance. Nonetheless, keeping in consideration the vast scope of fresh-cut products, this article intends to thoroughly review information about microbiology and public health risks associated with them. Discussions regarding different approaches to extend the shelf life and to minimize the risk of infection associated with their consumption are also included.
Mild processing applied to the inactivation of the main foodborne bacterial pathogens: A review
Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2017
Background: Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter are the major bacterial pathogens associated with foodborne diseases and their inactivation is fundamental to ensure microbiologically safe products. Although efficient in generating safe foods with proper shelf-lives, pasteurization and commercial sterilization may result in numerous nutritional and sensory changes in foods. To address these disadvantages, mild processing methods (i.e., processing technologies for food preservation that apply mild temperature; <40 ºC) aiming to destroy microbial food contaminants have been developed. Scope and approach: This review emphasizes the main applications of mild technologies aiming to the inactivation of the four main pathogenic bacteria of relevance for food safety as well as their mechanisms of action. Key findings and conclusions: Mild processing technologies such as high pressure processing, ultrasounds, pulsed electric fields, UV-light, and atmospheric cold plasma may serve, in some conditions, as useful alternatives to commercial sterilization and pasteurization aiming to destroy foodborne pathogens. Each of these mild technologies has a specific mode of microbial inactivation and their knowledge is of foremost importance in the design and practical application aiming to produce high quality and safe foods. This is necessary to ensure that mild technologies are highly advantageous in comparison to conventional technologies not only for preservation of nutritional and sensorial aspects of foods but also to ensure their safety throughout shelf-life.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2003
The ef cacy of sanitizers in killing human pathogenic microorganisms on a wide range of whole and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has been studied extensively. Numerous challenge studies to determine the effects of storage conditions on survival and growth of pathogens on raw produce have also been reported. Results of these studies are often dif cult to assess because of the lack of suf cient reporting of methods or, comparatively, because of variations in procedures for preparing and applying inocula to produce, conditions for treatment and storage, and procedures for enumerating pathogens. There is a need for a standard method to accurately determine the presence and populations of pathogenic microorganisms on produce. The adoption of standard, well-characterized reference strains would bene t a comparative assessment of a basic method among laboratories. A single protocol will not be suitable for all fruits and vegetables. Modi cations of a basic method will be necessary to achieve maximum recovery of pathogens on various types of produce subjected to different sanitizer or storage treatments. This article discusses parameters that must be considered in the course of developing a basic standard method against which these modi cations could be made.
Novel Approach to Enhance the Shelf Life of Fresh Cut Fruits and Vegetables: A Review
2021
The market for chilled fresh-cut produce has witnessed dramatic growth in recent years, stimulated largely by consumer demand for fresh, healthy, convenient and additive-free foods which are safe and nutritious. Growing consumer interest in international markets in new or exotic tastes has promulgated growth in the international trade of fresh-cut products. Consumers generally purchase fresh-cut produce for convenience, freshness, nutrition, safety and eating experience. Fresh-cut processing involves cutting through the tissue of fresh produce, thus causing major tissue disruption and release of enzymes that interact with substrates associated with the fruit tissue. Wounding of the fruit tissue by cutting also increases ethylene production and stimulates respiration and phenolic metabolism. Slicing, dicing and shredding procedures as well as temperature abuse during storage can, however, result in increases in populations of mesospheric aerobic microorganisms associated with fresh-c...
Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 2013
The effect of non-thermal technologies (ozone in aqueous solution, ultrasounds and ultraviolet C radiation) and washings with chemical solutions (sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide) on Listeria innocua survival was studied in red bell peppers. Quality attributes such as total colour difference, firmness, pH and ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid content were also evaluated. The treatments were applied before product storage under frozen conditions (− 7 and −30°C). Pre-washings with hydrogen peroxide solutions allowed obtaining frozen shred red bell peppers with lower microbial loads, when compared to the results obtained with the remaining treatments. However, those washings had a negative impact on colour and firmness. Alternatively, ozonation provided microbial reductions significantly higher than water-washings and improved, or at least allowed to preserve, all quality parameters analysed under both storage conditions. Storage at − 7°C provided higher microbial reductions in red bell peppers. However, this temperature implied higher colour alterations and ascorbic acid losses. Industrial relevance: The native microbial flora of fresh fruits and vegetables may include pathogens which are dangerous threats to consumers. Thermal treatments are conventionally used to attain safety standards; however, overall quality may be negatively affected by heat. Chemical treatments (environmental friendly) or non-thermal processes such as ozone, UV-C radiation and ultrasonication are promising technologies. From an industrial point of view, these processes may have potential application if safe and high quality produce is to be attained.
Processing and Preservation of Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetable Products
Postharvest Handling
Fruits and vegetables are plant derived products which can be consumed in its raw form without undergoing processing or conversion. Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (FFV) are products that have been cleaned, peeled, sliced, cubed or prepared for convenience or ready-to-eat consumption but remains in a living and respiring physiological condition. Methods of preserving FFV to retain its wholesomeness includes washing with hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, warm water and ozone for disinfestation and sanitization; use of antimicrobial edible films and coatings; and controlled atmosphere storage and modified atmosphere packaging of fruits and vegetables. Exposure of intact or FFV to abiotic stress and some processing methods, induces biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of the produce. Conversely, loss of vitamins and other nutrients has been reported during processing and storage of FFV, hence the need for appropriate processing techniques to retain their nutritional and organoleptic properties. FFV are still faced with the challenge of quality retention and shelf life preservation mostly during transportation and handling, without impacting on the microbiological safety of the product. Hence, food processors are continually investigating processes of retaining the nutritional, organoleptic and shelf stability of FFV.