Sensory quality and internal atmosphere of fresh-cut Golden Delicious apples

The sensory shelf-life of Golden Delicious fresh-cut apples, dipped in 10 g L-1 ascorbic acid and 5 g L-1 calcium chloride and packaged under different modified atmosphere conditions, was assessed throughout refrigerated storage. An initial atmosphere of 0 kPa O-2 and plastic packages of an O-2 permeability of 15 cm(3) m(-2) bar(-1) day(-1) were very effective in preserving the initial colour and firmness of apple cubes during at least 3 weeks of storage. These conditions resulted in increased respiration coefficients, which curbed the product consumer acceptance beyond the second week of storage. However, reduced ethylene and CO2 production limited the appearance of fermentative metabolites during this period.