ABSTRACT
Introduction..............................................................................................................22 History of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables in Europe ...............................22 Development and Statistics .........................................................................24
General Processing Conditions ...............................................................................25 Forward-Only Movement ............................................................................25 Separation of the Trimming Room, the Washing Room, and the Packing Room ................................................................................26 Temperature Control ....................................................................................26 Airflow .........................................................................................................27 Wastes ..........................................................................................................27 Cleaning Equipment, Material, and Utensils ..............................................28 Sanitation .....................................................................................................28 Hygienic Procedure for Operators ..............................................................28 Chlorinating .................................................................................................28 Distribution Conditions: Chill Chain and Sell-by-Date..............................28
Unit Operations........................................................................................................29 Raw Materials ..............................................................................................29 Harvesting ....................................................................................................30 Quality Assessment......................................................................................30 Trimming .....................................................................................................31 Slicing and Shredding .................................................................................32 Prewashing ...................................................................................................33 Washing with Chlorinated Water.................................................................33 Draining .......................................................................................................35 Weighing and Packing .................................................................................36
Conclusion ...............................................................................................................40 New Products...............................................................................................40
