ABSTRACT
Fresh-cut produce is the fastest growing food category in U.S. supermarkets. Sales trends for fresh-cut salads clearly indicate that consumers will pay for fresh-cut produce, if quality and convenience are perceived to be better than or equal to uncut product. The most important driving force behind fresh-cut product purchases is convenience (Ragaert et al., 2004). Due to commercial difficulties in testing product quality, it is often assumed that “if it looks good, it tastes good.” Unfortunately,
5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 115 5.2 Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetable Quality Components ................................... 116
5.2.1 Color and Appearance ...................................................................... 117 5.2.2 Sensorial Aspects.............................................................................. 117
5.2.2.1 Flavor and Aroma .............................................................. 117 5.2.2.2 Texture ............................................................................... 118
5.2.3 Nutritional Content ........................................................................... 119 5.3 Factors and Agents Affecting Fresh-Cut Sensory Quality ........................... 120
5.3.1 Whole Fruit or Precutting Treatments .............................................. 121 5.3.2 Maturity ............................................................................................ 122 5.3.3 Processing Treatments ...................................................................... 123
5.3.3.1 Antibrowning and Firmness Retention .............................. 125 5.3.3.2 Ripening Inhibition ............................................................ 126 5.3.3.3 Edible Coatings and Dips .................................................. 128
5.3.4 Volatile and Sensory Oddities and Diffusional Considerations ....... 130 5.3.5 Packaging and Storage ...................................................................... 131
5.3.5.1 Fruits .................................................................................. 133 5.3.5.2 Vegetables and Salads ........................................................ 134
5.3.6 Combined or Synergistic Quality Retention Treatments .................. 135 5.4 Conclusions and Future Directions ............................................................... 135 References .............................................................................................................. 136
quality of intact vegetables and fruits is often determined almost exclusively on appearance, sometimes to the exclusion of flavor and texture. Consumers often buy the first time based on appearance, but repeat purchases are driven by expected quality factors such as flavor and texture (Beaulieu, 2006b; Waldron et al., 2003).
