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Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 7126

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy

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Guest Editor

School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W University Dr, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; food quality; nanotechnologies

Dr. Alcina M.M.B. Morais

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Guest Editor

CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina, Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Porto, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: food quality; fruits and vegetables; edible coatings; drying technologies; osmotic dehydration; mathematical modeling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global consumption of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has seen a meteoric rise in the last few decades owing to their organoleptic and nutritional properties. Since fresh fruits and vegetables are highly perishable after their harvest, they require strategies to preserve their quality, maintain storage stability, extend shelf-life, and avoid microbial spoilage. Postharvest handling conditions like precooling, sanitation, washing, peeling, cutting, storage temperature and relative humidity, storage time, packaging, and distribution play an important role in controlling changes in physico-chemical properties and microbial spoilage. Although conventional practices such as heating, drying and freezing are still commonly practiced, adding value to these commodities, novel processing, preservation and packaging technologies are rapidly evolving to meet consumers’ demands. This Special Issue provides a platform to disseminate the latest science-based information on emerging preservation technologies for fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, and welcomes researchers’ contributions.

Dr. Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy
Dr. Alcina M.M.B. Morais
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fruits
vegetables
fresh produce
fresh-cut
minimal processing
preservation
novel technologies
packaging
shelf-life
quality
microbial spoilage
organoleptic properties
nutritional properties

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Aeration and Chlorination during Washing to Reduce E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and L. innocua on Cucumbers and Bell Peppers

by Julysa A. Benitez, Jyoti Aryal, Ivannova Lituma, Juan Moreira and Achyut Adhikari

Foods 2024, 13(1), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010146 - 31 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1358

Abstract

The attachment strength of bacteria to surfaces can affect the efficacy of sanitizers during washing. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of chlorination and aeration in the removal of pathogens from the surface of produce. Cucumbers and bell peppers were inoculated with Listeria innocua, Escherichia coli O157:H7, or Salmonella enterica; afterwards, the produce was washed with or without chlorinated water (100 ppm) for 3 min in combination with or without aeration. Cucumbers washed with chlorinated water, with or without aeration, presented significant reductions of L. innocua (3.65 log CFU/cm² and 1.13 log CFU/cm², respectively) (p < 0.05). Similarly, bell peppers washed in chlorinated water with aeration (1.91 log CFU/g) and without aeration (2.49 log CFU/g) presented significant reductions of L. innocua. A significant reduction of L. innocua was observed on bell peppers washed with non-chlorinated water with aeration (2.49 log CFU/g) (p < 0.05). Non-chlorinated water was also effective in significantly reducing the level of Salmonella enterica (p < 0.05) on cucumbers and bell peppers. Washing with chlorinated water with aeration reduced Salmonella enterica levels from 4.45 log CFU/cm² on cucumbers to below the detectable limit (0.16 log CFU/cm²). The highest reduction of Salmonella enterica from bell peppers occurred after washing with chlorinated water with aeration (2.48 log CFU/g). E. coli O157:H7, L. innocua, and Salmonella enterica levels present in non-chlorinated water after washing contaminated produce with or without aeration were significantly greater than those in chlorinated water (p < 0.05). After treatment, the population levels of all pathogens in chlorinated water with or without aeration were below the detectable limit for bell peppers (<1.10 log CFU/mL) and cucumbers (<1.20 log CFU/mL). Using chlorine in combination with forced aeration during washing minimizes cross-contamination of bacterial pathogens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables)

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13 pages, 1054 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Different Pre-Growth Temperatures on the Survival Kinetics of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh-Cut Salad during Refrigerated Storage

by Avninder Kaur and Veerachandra Yemmireddy

Foods 2023, 12(23), 4287; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234287 - 28 Nov 2023

Viewed by 940

Abstract

The effect of the pre-growth temperature of bacterial cultures on their subsequent survival kinetics in fresh-cut produce during refrigerated storage was investigated in this study. Three-strain cocktails of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, cultured at different growth temperatures (4, 21, and 37 °C) were inoculated on fresh-cut mixed salad and on individual produce in the mixed salad. The inoculated samples were stored at 4 °C and 80 ± 2% relative humidity (RH) for up to 72 h and the growth, survival, or death kinetics were determined at regular intervals. The results indicate that depending upon the type of pathogen tested, the pre-growth temperature(s) and the type of produce showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the survival kinetics. Among the tested produce, mixed salad showed the highest reduction in L. monocytogenes pre-grown at 37 °C (1.33 log CFU/g) followed by red cabbage (0.56 log CFU/g), iceberg lettuce (0.52 log CFU/g), and carrot (−0.62 log CFU/g), after 72 h, respectively. In the case of Salmonella, carrot showed the highest reduction (1.07 log CFU/g for 37 °C pre-grown culture) followed by mixed salad (0.78 log CFU/g for 37 °C pre-grown culture), cabbage (0.76 log CFU/g for 21 °C pre-grown culture), and lettuce (0.65 log CFU/g for 4 °C pre-grown culture), respectively. Among the tested ComBase predictive models, the Baranyi–Roberts model better fitted the experimental data. These findings indicate that the appropriate selection of pre-growth environmental conditions is critical to better understand the kinetics of foodborne pathogens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables)

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15 pages, 446 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Pomegranate Peel Extract and/or Lactic Acid as Natural Preservatives on Physicochemical, Microbiological Properties, Antioxidant Activity, and Storage Stability of Khalal Barhi Date Fruits

by Nashi K. Alqahtani, Tareq M. Alnemr and Salim A. Ali

Foods 2023, 12(6), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061160 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2023

Abstract

The use of natural preservatives in the storage of fresh fruits is a promising approach to healthier and more sustainable food processing. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and lactic acid (LA) as natural preservatives on the shelf life of Khalal Barhi date fruits. Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, color parameters, texture profile, sensory characteristics, and microbiological quality of date fruits were evaluated during six weeks of cold storage (4 ± 1 °C). The bioactive compounds in PPE were determined by HPLC analysis, which showed that PPE is a rich source of bioactive compounds, particularly phenolics and flavonoids. The results exhibited decreased moisture content (from 68.36–68.43 to 62.13–63.11%) and an increased soluble solids content (from 27.16–27.24 to 31.45–33.91%) in all samples with prolonged storage. Likewise, a slight decrease in the pH (from 6.00–6.28 to 4.89–5.29) with an increase in acidity (from 0.12–0.14 to 0.23–0.27%) during storage was observed. Generally, treated samples showed lower changes in moisture content, soluble solids content, pH, and acidity than the control. A decrease in total phenolic content (TPC) (from 8.22–12.36 to 3.19–5.17 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (from 44.11–68.26 to 23.84–38.52%) of all samples was observed with progressed storage, meanwhile, the treatment with PPE significantly (p < 0.05) increased TPC with a concomitant increase in antioxidant activity and maintained higher values of both throughout storage. The results exhibited a decrease in L* (from 54.87–55.92 to 41.68–45.68) and b* (from 36.25–37.09 to 23.59–25.42) values of all samples, while the a* value of all samples increased (from 1.29–1.40 to 2.22–2.43) with storage. Dipping treatment in PPE solution improved the color, exhibited the lowest change in color parameters, and maintained better texture properties during storage. Similarly, sensory properties decreased (from 8.21–8.66 to 6.71–7.21) during storage with insignificant (p > 0.05) differences among samples. Dipping treatments inhibited the growth of yeasts and molds over time, with the lowest microbial count recorded in the PPE-treated samples. It can be concluded that PPE was found to have protective effects on Khalal Barhi date fruit quality by controlling post-harvest changes and lowering the microbial load. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables)

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Review

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29 pages, 862 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Recent Highlights in Sustainable Bio-Based Edible Films and Coatings for Fruit and Vegetable Applications

by Valter F. R. Martins, Manuela E. Pintado, Rui M. S. C. Morais and Alcina M. M. B. Morais

Foods 2024, 13(2), 318; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020318 - 19 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2221

Abstract

The present review paper focuses on recent developments in edible films and coatings made of base compounds from biological sources, namely plants, animals, algae, and microorganisms. These sources include by-products, residues, and wastes from agro-food industries and sea products that contribute to sustainability concerns. Chitosan, derived from animal biological sources, such as crustacean exoskeletons, has been the most studied base compound over the past three years. Polysaccharides typically constitute no more than 3–5% of the film/coating base solution, with some exceptions, like Arabic gum. Proteins and lipids may be present in higher concentrations, such as zein and beeswax. This review also discusses the enrichment of these bio-based films and coatings with various functional and/or bioactive compounds to confer or enhance their functionalities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-enzymatic properties, as well as physical properties. Whenever possible, a comparative analysis among different formulations was performed. The results of the applications of these edible films and coatings to fruit and vegetable products are also described, including shelf life extension, inhibition of microbial growth, and prevention of oxidation. This review also explores novel types of packaging, such as active and intelligent packaging. The potential health benefits of edible films and coatings, as well as the biodegradability of films, are also discussed. Finally, this review addresses recent innovations in the edible films and coatings industry, including the use of nanotechnologies, aerogels, and probiotics, and provides future perspectives and the challenges that the sector is facing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Fresh and Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables)

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