Natural additives to preserve quality and improve nutritional value of fresh-cut nectarine
- Natalia Falagán
- Francisco Artés Calero 1
- Encarna Aguayo 1
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1
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
info
ISSN: 1082-0132, 1532-1738
Year of publication: 2016
Volume: 22
Issue: 5
Pages: 429-439
Type: Article
More publications in: Food science and technology international = Ciencia y tecnología de alimentos internacional
Abstract
There is currently a high demand for natural and fresh-cut fruits. In this study, natural additives were applied to fresh-cut nectarines: (1) control, nontreated; (2) wedges were dipped in an antibrowning solution containing calcium ascorbate (AB); (3) and (4) wedges were dipped in an AB plus natural antimicrobial agents (vanillin or cinnamic acid, respectively). After these treatments, fresh-cut nectarines were packed and stored at 5 ℃ for eight days. The treatments AB+Vanillin and AB+Cinnamic inhibited microbial counts when compared with control and AB-only samples. The application of these solutions did not impart any aromas or off-flavors to nectarines and maintained firmness during the shelf-life period. AB solutions inhibited polyophenol oxidase action and reduced browning while stabilizing the soluble phenolic content, increasing consumer’s acceptance. Nectarine wedges assimilated the ascorbic acid from the AB solution and retained it during the shelf-life period. The combination of an antibrowning agent and natural antimicrobials helped to control microbiological growth while maintaining high-quality parameters. They can be an attractive “green” alternative for organic fresh-cut products to other chemical sanitizers such as chlorine.
Funding information
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness-FEDER for financial support (project AGL2010-19201-C04-02-AGR) and concession of a pre-doctoral grant to N. Falagan.Funders
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- AGL2010-19201-C04-02-AGR