UV-C light and mild hot water for keeping overall quality of fresh-cut pomegranate arils
2012
M., Maghoumi | P.A., Gómez | F., Artés-Hernández | Y., Mostofi | Z., Zamami | F., Artés
Manually extracted pomegranate arils (cv. ‘Mollar de Elche’), chlorine disinfected (100 ppm),rinsed and drained arils (Control) were exposed to either 4.54 kJ m-2 ultraviolet-C light (UV-C) or immersed for 30 s in water at 55 degrees C (HW), packaged in polypropylene (PP) baskets (100 g), sealed on the top and then stored up to 14 days at 5 per centC. The respiration rate (RR), atmosphere composition, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids content (TSS), microbial growth and sensory quality were monitored. Passive MAP composition at the steady state was the same (16 kPa O2 plus 5 kPa CO2) independently of the treatment. RR tended to slightly increase during storage being in general slightly lower for the Control (between 1.5 and 1.7 ml CO2 kg-1 h-1). Significant changes were detected for TA which decreased from the initial value (0.19 g citric acid/100 ml) to 0.09, 0.08 and 0.1 g citric acid/100 ml for control, HW and UV-C respectively at the end of storage. From the initial TSS of 15.8 per centB, a slight reduction in HW treatment was found. No noticeable changes in TSS for control and UV-C treatment were found. Mesophilic counts strongly decreased by HW and in a lesser extent by both UV-C and chlorinated water. The same trend was found for molds and yeasts. No Enterobacteriaceae growth was observed in any treatment. Control as well as all HW treated arils were sensory scored as poor, being qualified as unmarketable after 14 days. In contrast arils from UV-C kept well enough their sensory quality and were considered as good, being this treatment reliable for keeping overall quality and safety.
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