Factors Affecting Quality and Safety of Fresh-Cut Produce

Abstract

The quality of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable products includes a combination of attributes, such as appearance, texture, and flavor, as well as nutritional and safety aspects that determine their value to the consumer. Nutritionally, fruit and vegetables represent a good source of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, and fresh-cut produce satisfies consumer demand for freshly prepared, convenient, healthy food. However, fresh-cut produce deteriorates faster than corresponding intact produce, as a result of damage caused by minimal processing, which accelerates many physiological changes that lead to a reduction in produce quality and shelf-life. The symptoms of produce deterioration include discoloration, increased oxidative browning at cut surfaces, flaccidity as a result of loss of water, and decreased nutritional value. Damaged plant tissues also represent a better substrate for growth of microorganisms, including spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens. The risk of pathogen contamination and growth is one of the main safety concerns associated with fresh-cut produce, as highlighted by the increasing number of produce-linked foodborne outbreaks in recent years. The pathogens of major concern in fresh-cut produce are Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic Escherichia coli mainly O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. This article describes the quality of fresh-cut produce, factors affecting quality, and various techniques for evaluating quality. In addition, the microbiological safety of fresh-cut produce and factors affecting pathogen survival and growth on fresh-cut produce are discussed in detail.

Germination ecology of nutraceutical herbs for agronomic perspectives

“…On the other hand, in spite of the high cost, that field transplanting imply, this technique is already used in T. officinale recently cultivated in Tuscany as a medicinal crop (personal observation). On the other hand, despite the criticality of these food herbs, under economic profile, these species may have a high commercial value in the case of their use, alone or together with other common leaf vegetables, in fresh cut ready to eat (Francis et al, 2012) of excellent nutraceutical value and organoleptic performances.…”

Applying Value Stream Mapping to reduce food losses and wastes in supply chains: A systematic review

“…Previous studies show that nutrients such as thiamine, vitamin A and C are lost not only when excessive heat is applied (Henry and Heppell, 2002) but also with modest heat treatments in the right combination of oxygen, light and pH (Lešková et al, 2006). Other physical processing practices involving cutting, peeling, milling and more so if accompanied by washing also potentially result into micronutrient losses (Atungulu and Pan, 2014;Francis et al, 2012). This implies that VSM could not only be effective at identifying FLW but also nutrient losses.…”

“…When half of such FLW along the supply chain would be reduced, the nutritional requirements of about 63 million undernourished people from developing regions would be met (Munesue et al, 2015). In addition, food processing activities such as inappropriate peeling and cutting are known to not only lead to quantitative FLW, but also compromise the micronutrient quality (Artés et al, 2007;Francis et al, 2012). Vitamin C and A, for example, are easily lost in fresh cut fruits as compared to whole fruits due to the processing operations (Barrett et al, 2010;Gil et al, 2006).…”

Comparison of Sodium Acid Sulfate and UV-C Treatment on Browning and Storage Quality of Fresh-Cut Potatoes

“…However, fresh-cut produce deteriorates faster than corresponding intact produce, which leads to a reduction in quality and shelf life. The key points in fresh-cut produce deterioration are discoloration and excessive microorganism growth during storage and transportation [24].…”