Effect of temperature on shelf life and microbial population of lightly processed cactus pear fruit
M. R. Corbo , C. Altieri, D. D’Amato, D. Campaniello, M. A. Del Nobile and M. Sinigaglia
Postharvest Biology and Technology Volume 31, Issue 1 , January 2004, Pages 93-104
2004
บทคัดย่อ
The possibility of using cactus pearfruit(Opuntia ficus indica Mill, cv. Gialla) to produce ready-to-eatfruitwas investigated. Changes in sensory quality and proliferation of spoilage microorganisms on lightly processed and packagedfruitas a function of storage temperature and modified atmosphere packaging were measured. The shelf life of the samples was kinetically modelled in order to check the effects of storage temperature and to assess the most relevant microbial indices for the product quality. Minimally processed cactus pearfruithad longer shelf life at 4 °C than at temperatures recommended for wholefruitwhen these were greater than 4 °C. The packaging of processed cactus pearfruitin modified atmospheres during storage resulted in a homogeneous bacterial population compared to that isolated fromfruitstored in air, and favored the growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Our results suggest that mathematical modelling might allow the industry to use more objective measurements to determine the shelf life of their products.