Increasing the Safety and Storage of Pre-Packed Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables by Supercritical CO2 Process

Abstract

This work presents a feasibility lab-scale study for a new preservation method to inactivate microorganisms and increase the shelf life of pre-packed fresh-cut products. Experiments were conducted on coriander leaves and fresh-cut carrots and coconut. The technology used the combination of hydrostatic pressure (<15 MPa), low temperature (≤45 °C), and CO2 modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The inactivation was achieved for the naturally present microorganisms (total mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds, total coliforms) and inoculated E. coli. Yeasts and molds and coliform were under the detection limit in all the treated samples, while mesophiles were strongly reduced, but below the detection limit only in carrots. Inoculated E. coli strains were completely inactivated (>6.0 log CFU/g) on coconut, while a reduction >4.0 log CFU/g was achieved for carrots and coriander. For all the treated products, the texture was similar to the fresh ones, while a small alteration of color was detected. Microbiological stability was achieved for up to 14 days for both fresh-cut carrots and coconut. Overall, the results are promising for the development of a new mild and innovative food preservation technique for fresh food.

Investigating the Effect of Rosemary Essential Oil, Supercritical CO2 Processing and Their Synergism on the Quality and Microbial Inactivation of Chicken Breast Meat

“…This result suggests a strong dependence on the treatment with the food matrix. Indeed, in the case of other food matrices such as carrot and coriander [17,18], the inactivation of inoculated E. coli on the sample surface was also found to be higher after the treatment with the SC-CO 2 method compared to the SC-MAPCO 2 method. However, the inactivation with SC-MAPCO 2 was significant, suggesting a better inactivation capacity of the treatment for vegetables than meat.…”

“…This new method has been demonstrated to be effective at lab scale on fresh-cut carrots and coconut and coriander, obtaining inactivation results very close to the SC-CO 2 method, but with milder effects on the product aspect [17,18]. This new method has never been studied on animal-origin products, but SC-CO 2 has been demonstrated to be effective in the inactivation of microorganisms on meat products.…”

Chemiresistive Sensor for Enhanced CO2 Gas Monitoring

“…Concentrations above this limit could lead to adverse effects on residents such as fatigue, respiratory inflammation, and headache . CO 2 gas is also relevant in other real-world applications ranging from food packaging to improve perishable food product shelf life (modified atmosphere packaging) to environmental monitoring of greenhouse gases, fire detection, medical diagnostics, and photosynthesis. − Owing to the wide range of CO 2 gas applications and its broad concentration ranges, CO 2 gas monitoring has become essential. The conventional approach to monitoring CO 2 gas in the past involved employing analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography, infrared and photoacoustic spectroscopies .…”