Scribd
Upload
303 views3 pages

Minimally Processed Products

Minimally processed products refer to fresh fruits and vegetables that have undergone light processing like cleaning, trimming, slicing or shredding. Production of these types of products has increased significantly. Examples include shredded lettuce, sliced fruits, and vegetable salads. These products are more perishable than whole fruits and vegetables due to factors like increased respiration and microbial growth. Strict temperature control and packaging are important to reduce deterioration and prolong shelf life. Chemical treatments like chlorine or calcium can also help reduce browning and maintain quality.

Uploaded by

Oliver Talip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
303 views3 pages

Minimally Processed Products

Minimally processed products refer to fresh fruits and vegetables that have undergone light processing like cleaning, trimming, slicing or shredding. Production of these types of products has increased significantly. Examples include shredded lettuce, sliced fruits, and vegetable salads. These products are more perishable than whole fruits and vegetables due to factors like increased respiration and microbial growth. Strict temperature control and packaging are important to reduce deterioration and prolong shelf life. Chemical treatments like chlorine or calcium can also help reduce browning and maintain quality.

Uploaded by

Oliver Talip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

MINIMALLY PROCESSED PRODUCTS

“Minimally processed”, “fresh cut”, “lightly processed”, “partially processed”, “fresh


processed”, are similar terms used to denote fresh fruits and vegetables converted from whole to fresh
cut products. This process usually involves cleaning, washing, trimming, coring, slicing and shredding.

Production of minimally processed fruit and vegetables has dramatically increased in the recent
years in the world market. They include several products such as shredded lettuce and cabbage, washed
and trimmed spinach, vegetable salads and snacks, carrots or celery sticks, cauliflower or broccoli
florets, peeled and sliced potatoes or oranges, chilled slices of fruits such as peach, mango, melon,
peeled and cored pineapple, etc. Lettuce, the most common fresh cut product, is prepared and sold as
salad with or without other vegetables such as carrot or cabbage Figs 1a and 1b.

“Minimally processed” products are usually more perishable than the original whole products.
Minimal processing increases respiration rate, ethylene production and deterioration rate. In addition,
microbiological concern is a major problem in these products. Minimally processed lettuce is a difficult
product to handle due to brown discoloration of the cut surfaces when it is stored for several days, and
other deterioration processes. Another very usual difficulty to extend the shelf life of shredded lettuce
for more than one week consists of the microbial flora. Human and plant pathogens are an important
concern.

Strict temperature control during all the process and afterward during handling of the product is
the most important factor for reducing deterioration factors and, most importantly, to reduce the
microbial potential hazard. Temperature should always be at 0-4ºC. Microbiological problems can
increase in the packaged product due to increased relative humidity and decreased O 2 concentration.
Package materials most commonly used include polyvinylchloride (PVC) for over wrapping, and
polypropylene and polyethylene for bags. Package materials should be characterized with high
permeability. Reasonably low
concentrations of O2 and/or reasonably high concentrations of CO2 (depending on the type of product)
are important to reduce deterioration factors and to prolong the shelf life of these products.
Hygienic procedures should be controlled very well during all the process. Effects of the
chemical treatment could be more important than gas composition. Chlorine treatment can reduce
browning of shredded lettuce. 50 ppm chlorine and 200 ppm citric acid are efficient in reducing leaf
edge browning. Ca(OCl)2 is more effective than NaClO in reducing browning of sliced potatoes and
apples, possibly due to a direct inhibitory effect of Ca on polyphenoloxidase. Chlorine at pH 11 is more
effective than at pH 7 in reducing browning, expressed as change in lightness of potato slices, while pH
4 is more effective with apple slices. Chlorine at 140 ppm is about as effective as 3.2% ascorbic acid,
200 ppm metabisulfite, or 200 ppm 4-hexylresorcinol on potato, but metabisulfite and 4-hexylresorcinol
are more effective than chlorine or ascorbic acid in reducing browning on apple.

Calcium maintains firmness of sliced strawberries and pears. Sliced Anjou pears can have
browning-free color for 30 days by dipping in 1.0% ascorbic acid and 1.0% calcium lactate, and texture
can become soft with juice leakage, and the combination treatment of 0.01% 4- hexylresorcinol, 0.5%
ascorbic acid and 1.0% calcium lactate could provide 15 to 30 days shelf life for Anjou, Bartlett, and
Bosc pears when the pears were sliced at average ripeness of 43, 49, and 38 Newton respectively, with 2
min dipping, partial vacuum packaging, and storage at 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.
References

Baldwin, E.A., M.O. Nispero-Carriedo, and R.A. Baker. 1995. Edible coatings for lightly
processed fruits and vegetables. HortScience 30:35-38.
Barmore, C.R. 1987. Packing technology for fresh and minimally processed fruits and
vegetables. J. Food Quality 10:207-217.
Bolin, H.R. and C.C. Huxsoll. 1989. Storage stability of minimally processed fruits. J. Food
Proc. Preser. 13:281-292.
Brackett, R.E. 1987. Microbiological consequences of minimally processed fruits and
vegetables. J. Food Quality 10:195-206.
Brackett, R.E. 1992. Shelf stability and safety of fresh products as influenced by sanitation and
disinfection. J. Food Prot. 55:808-814.
Brecht, J.K. 1995. Physiology of lightly processed fruits and vegetables. HortScience 30:18-22.
Hotchkiss, J.H. and M.J. Banco. 1992. Influence of new packaging technologies on the growth of
microorganisms in produce. J. Food Prot. 55:815-820.
Hurst, W.C. 1995. Sanitation of lightly processed fruits and vegetables. HortScience 30:22-24.
Klein, B.P. 1987. Nutritional consequences of minimal processing of fruits and vegetables. J.
Food Quality 10:179-193.
Lamikanra, O. 2002. Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables: science, technology, and market. CRC
Press, Boca Raton, Fl, USA.
Madden, J.M. 1992. Microbial pathogens in fresh produce – the regulatory perspective. J. Food
Prot. 55:821-823.
Wiley, R.C. (ed). 1994. Minimally processed refrigerated fruits and vegetables. Chapman &
Hall, New York, 368 p.

You might also like