Active Packaging-Releasing System with Foeniculum vulgare Essential Oil for the Quality Preservation of Ready-to-Cook (RTC) Globe Artichoke Slices

Abstract

Two globe artichoke genotypes, “Spinoso sardo” and “Opera F1”, have been processed as ready-to-cook (RTC) slices and refrigerated at 4 °C for 12 days (i) to evaluate the suitability to be processed as RTC slices; (ii) to evaluate the effect of a Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (EO) emitter, within an active package system, to delay quality decay, thus extending shelf life; (iii) to estimate the impact of EO emitter on the sensory profile of the RTC slices after cooking. Results revealed that both globe artichoke genotypes possess a good attitude to be processed as RTC product. “Opera F1” showed the best performances for color parameters, texture and chemical indexes, while “Spinoso sardo” showed lower mass loss (ML) over the storage time. The addition of EO emitter slowed down the consumption of O2, better preserved texture when compared to the control and more effectively control polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and antioxidants’ retention during the cold storage. Microbial counts in control globe artichoke RTC slices were significantly higher than those packed with EO emitter, confirming the inhibiting role played by EO of F. vulgare. In addition, the EO emitter did not influence negatively the sensory profile of RTC globe artichoke slices after microwave cooking.

Effect of Cysteine with Essential Oils on Quality Attributes and Functional Properties of ‘Blanca de Tudela’ Fresh-Cut Artichoke

“…After 9 days of storage at 2 • C, Cys + 75 EOs and Cys + 150 EOs treated artichokes presented an 18.73 (19.41 ± 0.47%) and 20% (19.72 ± 0.75%) reduction of WL compared to the non-treated artichokes (24.26 ± 1.61%), respectively. In previous studies, the use of Foeniculum vulgare EOs on its own or in combination with cysteine observed a similar WL when artichokes were hermetically packed in PET trays [44,51]. In the present study, a decrease in the WL has been observed, probably due to the absence of packaging.…”

“…Furthermore, in a previous study, 'Blanca de Tudela' freshcut artichokes were treated with different concentrations of cysteine (10-50 mol/m 3 ) and packed in polypropylene films, achieving L* values of 60.17 ± 0.22 after 4 days at 5 • C [29], while in the present study, the combination with EOs resulted in a 28% higher lightness. A decrease in L* with storage time was observed in all treatments and has been previously reported [44,51]. It is associated with the PPO enzymatic reaction that occurs during the browning process [52,53].…”

“…while in the present study, the combination with EOs resulted in a 28% higher lightness. A decrease in L* with storage time was observed in all treatments and has been previously reported [44,51]. It is associated with the PPO enzymatic reaction that occurs during the browning process [52,53].…”

“…Its use for the minimally processed market as an edible coating is still reduced; only a few studies have been carried out on the use of an antimicrobial agent in fresh-cut apples [42] and fresh-cut melon [43]. Rizzo et al [44] have studied the effect of locust bean gum edible coating with added Foeniculum vulgare EO and its use as an active packaging-releasing system in fresh-cut artichokes as an anti-browning treatment. However, most of the studies are focused on the effect of these EOs on the sensorial and colour parameters of treated fresh-cut artichokes, while parameters such as weight loss, respiration rate and firmness are also required to achieve the highest quality in fresh-cut artichokes.…”

Evaluation of ‘Lorca’ Cultivar Aptitude for Minimally Processed Artichoke

“…In general, tertiary heads showed the worst aptitude to developed fresh-cut artichoke product related to a high browning on the artichoke head (Figure 3). PPO activity is the key enzyme involved in the enzymatic browning process, which generates dark pigments called melanoidins, and are unacceptable in terms of safety as they could support microbial growth [44]. Several studies have showed that the browning process might be prevented by chemical and physical methods to inhibit PPO enzyme activity, including the reduction of temperature and/or oxygen concentration, the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and the application of anti-browning agents, coatings, and innovative packaging [3,29,[45][46][47][48].…”