PRETREATMENTS OF READY-TO-USE FRESH CUT F RUITS

The paper deals with some research on the antibrowning and antisofteni ng pretreatments of fresh cut fruit products. The first step of the an tibrowning treatments study concerned the antioxidant effect on Granny Smith apples polyphenoloxidase (PPO) of the following solutions: a) A scorbic acid 1.6% + Citric acid 1%; b) Ascorbate 1% + Citrate 0.2%; c) L-Cysteine 5 mM; d) L-Cysteine 10(-5) M; e) CaCl2 0.2% + NaCl 0.1%. A s index of the treatment effectiveness the browning index (II) was cal culated, The second step was an antioxidant treatment with a solution of Ascorbate 1% + Citrate 0.2% that was used in the processing of Fres h cut fruit products such as apple plugs icy Golden Delicious), clings tone peach plugs (cv Carson), apricot halves (cv Tonda di Costigliole) , kiwifruit slices (cv Hayward). The experimental trials of the antiso ftening treatments were performed on kiwifruit slices icy Hayward) dip ped in a CaCl2 80 mM solution. The physical analyses of colour and fir mness were carried out on the samples packaged both in normal atmosphe re and in modified atmosphere (5% oxygen) and then refrigerated at 3 d egrees +/- 1 degrees C up to 7 days. The Ascorbate 1% + Citrate 0.2% a nd L-Cysteine 5 mM solutions were effective as inhibitors of browning of the Granny Smith apple plugs. Dipping in a solution of Ascorbate 1% + Citrate 0.2% was suitable to stabilize the colour and firmness para meters of the Fresh cut fruit: products processed on a laboratory scal e. In our experimental conditions we could assume that these fruit-bas ed products have a shelf-life of 7 days at 3 degrees+1 degrees C.