Marketability of ready-to-eat cactus pear as affected by temperature and modified atmosphere

Abstract

In order to increase the diffusion of cactus pear fruits, in this study, the proper maturity index for peeling and processing them as ready-to-eat product was evaluated and characterized. Thereafter, the effects of different storage temperatures and modified atmosphere conditions on the marketability of ready-to-eat cactus pear were studied. The storage of ready-to-eat fruits at 4°C in both passive (air) and semi-active (10 kPa O 2 and 10 kPa CO 2 ) modified atmosphere improved the marketability by 30%, whereas the storage at 8°C caused a dangerous reduction in O 2 partial pressure inside modified atmosphere packages, due to fruits' increased metabolic activity. A very low level of initial microbial growth was detected, while a severe increase in mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria was shown in control samples at both temperatures during storage; an inhibitory effect of modified atmosphere on microbial growth was also observed. In conclusion, modified atmosphere improved only the marketability of fruits stored at 4°C; whereas the storage at 8°C resulted in deleterious effects on the ready-toeat fruits, whether stored in air or in modified atmosphere.

The influence of harvest period and fruit ripeness at harvest on minimally processed cactus pears (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill.) stored under passive atmosphere

“…Previous research indicated that fresh cut cactus pear can keep its original quality and marketability until 8-9 d of storage, when held at 4 C under passive or semi-active atmosphere (Cefola et al, 2014;Piga et al, 2000Piga et al, , 2003. Results in this study indicate the shelf-life of ready-to-use cactus pear fruit packaged under passive atmosphere, was strongly influenced by the harvest season and the fruit ripeness stage at harvest.…”

“…However, environmental conditions during fruit ripening largely account for significant differences in fruit growth rate pattern and ultimate quality parameters, i.e., shape, size, percent flesh, total soluble solid content, firmness, flavor and suitability to post harvest storage (De Wit et al, 2010;Inglese et al, 1999Inglese et al, , 2010. One of the possible options to increase consumer acceptance, limited by the presence of glochids in the peel and the seed count in the flesh of these peculiar fruit is the recourse to minimally processed, ready to eat, cactus pears (Piga et al, 2000;Goldman et al, 2004;Cefola et al, 2014). However, fruit handling, peeling and slicing, as other preliminary operations, may result in undesirable changes of fruit quality, in terms of color, browning, firmness reduction, off-flavor development and pathological breakdown (Garcia and Barret, 2002).…”

“…However, fruit handling, peeling and slicing, as other preliminary operations, may result in undesirable changes of fruit quality, in terms of color, browning, firmness reduction, off-flavor development and pathological breakdown (Garcia and Barret, 2002). Other factors, such as type of cut, low O 2 and/or high CO 2 into bags (Cefola et al, 2014;Kader et al, 1989), storage temperature (Cefola et al, 2014;Piga et al, 2000) have a significant impact on fresh-cut cactus pear shelf-life, quality, safety and acceptability (Piga et al, 2003). Minimally processed cactus pears retained the anti-oxidant capacity of the C vitamin, while polyphenols, pH and acidity decreased after 6 d of storage at 4 C (Piga et al, 2003).…”

Betalaínas, polifenoles y actividad antioxidante en tuna roja mínimamente procesada, almacenada en atmósferas controladas

“…En este sentido, la reducción de polifenoles también fue reportada en frutos de tuna (O. ficus-indica cv Gialla) almacenados a 4 °C, sin cáscara y cubiertos con una película plástica (Cefola et al 2011) Las frutas y hortalizas, además de estar compuestas por nutrientes indispensables para los procesos metabólicos en humanos, también tienen otras sustancias que pueden servir como protectores frente a ciertas enfermedades, éstas son conocidas como compuestos bioactivos o funcionales como betalaínas, compuestos fenólicos, vitaminas A, C y E, fibra, etc. (Butera et al 2002), las cuales en su mayoría se caracterizan por su actividad antioxidante.…”

Opuntia Fruits as a Source of Inexpensive Functional Food

“…Moreover, the film could check microbiological growth. Cefola et al (2014) characterized the optimal parameters for peeling and processing of these fruits as readyto-eat products. The storage of the fruits at 4 °C in both passive (air) and semi-active (10 kPa O 2 and 10 kPa CO 2 ) modified atmosphere improved the marketability by 30 %.…”