**3. Alternative Modified Atmospheres (e.g., High O2-MAP) or the Use of Essential Oils in the Headspace**

The final operation in producing minimally-processed fruits and vegetables is packaging.

Packaging performs several functions: it protects fresh-cut fruits and vegetables against deteriorative effects, contains the products, communicates to the consumers as a marketing tool and provides consumers products with ease of use and convenience. Fresh fruits and vegetables continue to respire, consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water vapor; thus, the atmosphere surrounding the package changes into another composition before sealing in vapor-barrier materials [75].

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a technique used for prolonging the shelf-life of fresh or minimally-processed foods [76]. MAP reduces the unwanted metabolic reactions and helps to protect processed products against contamination by microorganisms, thus slowing down the process of ageing [77]. MAP can be vacuum packaging (VP) and controlled atmosphere packaging (CAP). VP removes most of the air, or air is removed by vacuum or flushing and replaced with another gas mixture, before the product is packaged; the headspace atmosphere and product could change during storage, without additional manipulation of the internal environment. Differently, CAP continuously controls the environment to maintain a stable gas atmosphere within the package, as well as the temperature and humidity are monitored; it is generally used to control the ripening and spoilage of fruits and vegetables [76]. The composition, microflora, pH and the organoleptic characteristics of fruits and vegetables are extremely variable; therefore, it is impossible to define a univocal mixture of gases. It is necessary to maintain an optimum balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide; thus, an

appropriate MAP must be studied for each product. Many factors affect the MAP of fresh produce and are summarized in Figure 2.

**Figure 2.** Factors affecting MAP of fresh products [76].
