Sanitization Potential of Ozone and Its Role in Postharvest Quality Management of Fruits and Vegetables

Recently, consumers’ demand for fresh, nutritious, and convenient food has shown a significant rise. This trend has forced increased sales of minimally processed and/or pre-packed fruit- and vegetable-based products. New product development and the diversification of plant-based foods have supported this growth. The food production sector should balance this requirement with the necessity to provide safe food with extended shelf life while meeting consumer demands for novel, nutritious, and affordable food products. The use of alternative “soft hurdles” may result in a decrease in the rate of food deterioration and spoilage attributed to microbial activity or other physiological/chemical degradation reactions. The objective of the article is to provide a systematic review of the preservative effect of the available hurdles implemented during processing and packaging of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, focusing on recent applications aiming at improving product quality and prolonging their limited shelf life.

Section: Hurdles Applied In the Preservation And Shelf-life Extension Of Fresh-cut Fruits And Vegetablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Giannakourou

Tsironi

2021

“…As previously mentioned, minimally processed produce deteriorates rapidly due to the damage triggered by cutting processes, which cause metabolic stress (especially oxidative stress) leading to reduced shelf life and quality loss. Therefore, any negative impact on nutrient content caused by ozone can be assumed to be limited to surface only [ 56 ].…”

Section: Ozone Treatments and Fresh-cut Fruits And Vegetables Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they are largely compensated for long-term applications of the ozone treatments since electrical energy is the main component of cost basis. The power consumption of the ozone generators varies according to the capacity of the oxygen flow in the concentrator and of the gas flow output (it can vary from a few tens of W to a few tens of KW) and is lower in the case of aqueous ozone generators than in gaseous ones [ 56 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ozone’s sanitizing effectiveness can be influenced by various factors as described in the studies published by Aslam et al [ 56 ] and Tzortzakis and Chrysargyris [ 45 ]: type of produce, ozone–produce contact time, storage temperature and relative humidity, pH, microbial load and type of microorganism, location of the microorganisms on fresh produce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review into the Effectiveness of Ozone Technology for Improving the Safety and Preserving the Quality of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables

Botondi

Barone

Grasso

2021

In recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware of the nutritional benefits brought by the regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, which reduces the risk of health problems and disease. High-quality raw materials are essential since minimally processed produce is highly perishable and susceptible to quality deterioration. The cutting, peeling, cleaning and packaging processes as well as the biochemical, sensorial and microbial changes that occur on plant tissue surfaces may accelerate produce deterioration. In this regard, biological contamination can be primary, which occurs when the infectious organisms directly contaminate raw materials, and/or by cross-contamination, which occurs during food preparation processes such as washing. Among the many technologies available to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut products, ozone technology has proven to be a highly effective sterilization technique. In this paper, we examine the main studies that have focused on the effects of gaseous ozone and ozonated water treatments on microbial growth and quality retention of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. The purpose of this scientific literature review is to broaden our knowledge of eco-friendly technologies, such as ozone technology, which extends the shelf life and maintains the quality of fresh produce without emitting hazardous chemicals that negatively affect plant material and the environment.

“…Ozone fumigation is one of the most prominent sanitation strategies for fruits and vegetables [ 72 , 73 ]. Different approaches have been developed for ozone-based treatments on table grapes [ 74 , 75 ].…”

Section: Chemical Methods To Control B Cinerea mentioning

confidence: 99%

Botrytis cinerea and Table Grapes: A Review of the Main Physical, Chemical, and Bio-Based Control Treatments in Post-Harvest

Simone

Pace

Grieco

et al. 2020

118

Consumers highly appreciate table grapes for their pleasant sensory attributes and as good sources of nutritional and functional compounds. This explains the rising market and global interest in this product. Along with other fruits and vegetables, table grapes are considerably perishable post-harvest due to the growth of undesired microorganisms. Among the microbial spoilers, Botrytis cinerea represents a model organism because of its degrading potential and the huge economic losses caused by its infection. The present review provides an overview of the recent primary physical, chemical, and biological control treatments adopted against the development of B. cinerea in table grapes to extend shelf life. These treatments preserve product quality and safety. This article also focuses on the compliance of different approaches with organic and sustainable production processes. Tailored approaches include those that rely on controlled atmosphere and the application of edible coating and packaging, as well as microbial-based activities. These strategies, applied alone or in combination, are among the most promising solutions in order to prolong table grape quality during cold storage. In general, the innovative design of applications dealing with hurdle technologies holds great promise for future improvements.