Optimisation of Physical and Chemical Treatments to Control Browning Development and Enzymatic Activity on Fresh-cut Apple Slices

Optimisation of processing time and pre-treatments are crucial factors prior to apple drying to produce a high-quality product. The purpose of the present study was to test the utility of physical (hot-water, HWB and steam blanching, SB) and chemical (1% ascorbic acid, AA; and 1% citric acid, CA) treatments, alone or in combination in reducing surface discolouration as well as oxidative enzyme activity in apple slices (cv. Golden Delicious and Elstar) exposed to air at room temperature for 0, 30 and 60 min. The total colour change (ΔE) for Golden Delicious was equal to 2.38, 2.68, and 4.05 after 0, 30 and 60 min of air exposure, respectively. Dipping in AA solution (1% w/v) was found to be the best treatment to limit surface discolouration of both apple cultivars. The best heat treatments to inhibit polyphenol oxidase/peroxidase enzymes activity were 70 °C HWB for Golden Delicious and 60 °C HWB for Elstar slices, both in combination with a solution of 1% AA and 1% CA. The tested apple cultivars were found to require different treatments at minimum ambient air exposure to obtain the best surface colour condition

Processing and Quality Guidelines for Organic Food Processing/Verarbeitungs- und Qualitätsleitfaden für biologische Lebensmittel/Linee guida per la lavorazione e la qualità visto che trasformazione di alimenti biologici

These guidelines on quality and processing of organic foods have been prepared as part of the Core Organic Plus funded project “SusOrganic - Development of quality standards and optimised processing methods for organic produce”

Processing and Quality Guidelines for Organic Food Processing

ForewordThese guidelines on quality and processing of organic foods have been prepared as part of the Core Organic Plus funded project “SusOrganic - Development of quality standards and optimi-sed processing methods for organic produce”. They intend to support actors in the organic food processing sector to simultaneously increase resource efficiency and product quality of their produce by providing deeper insights in raw material, process and product relevant aspects. The main focus of the presented work lies on the preservation of fruits, herbs, vegetables, fish and meat by the means of drying and chilling/freezing. THE AIMS OF THESE GUIDELINES ARE TO PROVIDE THE PROCESSORS WITH: • Drying related aspects • A deeper understanding for naturally occurring heterogeneities in raw materials and their impact on drying characteristics • Information on the impact of pre-treatment and holding time between preparation and drying on the resulting product quality • Information on the impact of drying and the related process settings on product quality • Information on improved drying strategies and process control concepts • Best practice examples for processing • Best practice based on LCA and LCCA • Food drying and related food logistics • Chilling and Freezing related aspects • General aspects of superchilling • Superchilling for organic meat and fish • Effects of freezing and freezing rate on organic fruit

Quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum l.) changes under different cover crops, soil tillage and nitrogen fertilization management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interaction effects of winter cover crops (hairy vetch, subclover and black oat) and a bare soil, cover crop biomass management (incorporated into the soil or left on the soil surface as death mulch), and nitrogen (N) fertilization level (0, 75 and 150 kg ha−1 of N) on fruit yield and fruit quality parameters of processing tomato. Hairy vetch residues increased the yield (+57%), color index (+8%) and sugar/acidity ratio (+7%) of marketable tomato fruits compared to bare soil regardless of cover crop biomass management. Black oat residues determined a poor marketable yield, especially in tilled soil (on average, −26%, compared to bare soil) and they had a tendentially negative effect on some parameters of tomato quality (high firmness and titratable acidity, low color index and pH). Subclover residues, when incorporated into the soil, determined similar marketable fruit yield to bare soil, although they had a more favorable effect on the color parameters of tomato fruits. The increasing of the N fertilization level from 0 kg ha−1 of N to 150 kg ha−1 of N always positively influenced the tomato yield and fruit characteristics. The results suggest that hairy vetch, compared to other cover crops, had a positive influence on tomatoes and it could be part of an environmentally friendly management package for sustainable tomato cultivation in Mediterranean conditions