Журнал пищевой промышленности и технологий

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Novel Approach to Enhance the Shelf Life of Fresh Cut Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

Desta Dugassa Fufa

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-cut products. Therefore, it is essential to adopt various strategies that can minimize quality loss and assure safety for fresh cut produce.