Maintaining quality of minimally processed pomegranate arils by honey treatments

Purpose - A major challenge facing the fresh-cut industry is maintaining and preserving the quality of minimally processed or fresh-cut produce. A low temperature regime, although insufficient, has been the main method of overcoming this challenge so far. Thus, methods preserving the quality and extending the shell life of minimally processed or fresh-cut produce are needed. This paper seeks to propose that honey could be used to preserve the fresh-like quality of minimally processed pomegranate arils and extend their shelf life. Design/methodology/approach - Manually extracted pomegranate arils were treated with water as control, 10 or 20 per cent diluted honey solution each for five minutes, then held at 4 degrees C for ten days. Changes in organoleptic and visual quality, softening, soluble solids content, pH, absorbance at 446 and 510nm, and total aerobic count were recorded during the ten-day storage period. Findings - The study found that honey solution dip treatments extended the fresh-like quality of minimally processed arils by delaying quality loss, microbial development, and pigment changes. Practical implications - The paper shows that honey dip treatment may be used, depending oil commodity, to preserve quality and extend the shelf life of minimally processed or fresh-cut produce in the food-processing industry. Originality/value - The study pays particular attention to minimally processed pomegranate arils, by adapting a potentially safe organic method, the use of honey dips.