Journal
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
Volume 108, Issue 3, Pages 417-426Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.09.002
Keywords
Strawberries; Microbial loads; Quality; Sanitizer solutions; Non-thermal technologies; Refrigeration
Categories
Funding
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/16042/2004, SFRH/BPD/11580/2002]
- Programa Operacional Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural - Projecto AGRO (Novas Tecnologias de Processamento de Hortofruticulas Congelados - EMERCON) [822]
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/16042/2004, SFRH/BPD/11580/2002] Funding Source: FCT
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The effect of non-thermal technologies (ozone in aqueous solution, ultrasound and ultraviolet C radiation) and washings with chemical solutions (sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide) on safety and quality features of strawberries was studied. These treatments were applied before fruit storage at two different temperatures (4 and 15 degrees C). The overall impact on microbial loads (total mesophiles, and yeasts and moulds) and selected quality attributes (colour, firmness, pH, total anthocyanins and ascorbic acid content) was assessed. During storage under refrigerated temperature, washing with hydrogen peroxide solutions resulted in strawberries with lower microbial loads, when compared to the other treatments. However, it produced significant key quality attributes losses, such as colour and total anthocyanins content. The results presented show that ozone and ultrasound are promising alternatives to thermal treatments. The application of such technologies, before refrigerated storage of strawberries, allowed a satisfactory retention of all quality characteristics analysed, while being efficient in controlling microbial contamination. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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