Effects of Pre-Processing Hot-Water Treatment on Aroma Relevant VOCs of Fresh-Cut Apple Slices Stored in Sugar Syrup

Abstract

In practice, fresh-cut fruit and fruit salads are currently stored submerged in sugar syrup (approx. 20%) to prevent browning, to slow down physiological processes and to extend shelf life. To minimize browning and microbial spoilage, slices may also be dipped in a citric acid/ascorbic acid solution for 5 min before storage in sugar syrup. To prevent the use of chemicals in organic production, short-term (30 s) hot-water treatment (sHWT) may be an alternative for gentle sanitation. Currently, profound knowledge on the impact of both sugar solution and sHWT on aroma and physiological properties of immersed fresh-cuts is lacking. Aroma is a very important aspect of fruit quality and generated by a great variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Thus, potential interactive effects of sHWT and sugar syrup storage on quality of fresh-cut apple slices were evaluated, focusing on processing-induced changes in VOCs profiles. Intact ’Braeburn’ apples were sHW-treated at 55 °C and 65 °C for 30 s, sliced, partially treated with a commercial ascorbic/citric acid solution and slices stored in sugar syrup at 4 °C up to 13 days. Volatile emission, respiration and ethylene release were measured on storage days 5, 10 and 13. The impact of sHWT on VOCs was low while immersion and storage in sugar syrup had a much higher influence on aroma. sHWT did not negatively affect aroma quality of products and may replace acid dipping.

Application of Processing and Packaging Hurdles for Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables Preservation

“…The major problem in such perishable products is that heat is associated with significant degradation of flavor, texture, color, and nutritional quality. The main treatments applied in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables include short-time hot water treatments [ 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ] that aim to control the fresh produce surface microflora. Other heat treatments include hot water rinsing and brushing (HWRB) [ 82 ], mild Heat Shock [ 50 , 83 ], hot water blanching [ 42 , 84 ], etc.…”

Application of Procyanidins from Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott in Fresh-Cut Apple Preservation

“…The freshness, nutrition and convenience of cut fruit have been widely recognized by consumers in Europe, America, Japan and other countries. However, the process of cutting fruits results in a series of changes, including browning, odor, loss of nutrients and a shortened shelf-life, which collectively make storage difficult [23,24]. Currently, there are four main types of fresh-cut fruit preservation techniques: physical preservation, chemical preservation, natural product extract preservation and biological preservation [25].…”

Attenuating sugar spot and retaining quality of banana fruits by combined use of hot water and calcium lactate during storage

“…HW treatment exhibited potential for minimizing postharvest diseases but it needs to be used with utmost care to avoid adverse effects on fruit quality (Marrero and Paull, 1996). Previous studies described the effects of HW application on postharvest decay control, quality retention and shelf-life extension but the combined use of HW with calcium salt remains neglected and that could be more advantageous over the single treatment of HW (Kabelitz et al, 2019; Naser et al, 2018; Rico et al, 2007; Rux et al, 2020).…”