ABSTRACT
The quality of fresh-cut vegetables depends on two types of factors: apparent and nonapparent. Aspects connected with appearance, such as color, texture, aroma, and flavor, are characteristics of fresh-cut vegetables that consumers detect immediately by way of the senses and determine how acceptable or unacceptable they find a precut product. Nonapparent characteristics include microbiological quality, nutritional quality, and health-beneficial properties of fresh-cut vegetables. Microbiological
6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 145 6.2 Minimal Processing of Vegetable Products .................................................. 146 6.3 Phytochemical Compounds in Vegetable Products ...................................... 147
6.3.1 Vitamin C ......................................................................................... 148 6.3.2 Carotenoid Compounds .................................................................... 149 6.3.3 Phenolic Compounds ........................................................................ 151 6.3.4 Phytosterols ....................................................................................... 152 6.3.5 Organosulfur Compounds ................................................................ 153
6.4 Effect of Minimal Processing on Phytochemical Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in Plant Products ....................................................... 154 6.4.1 Vitamin C ......................................................................................... 155 6.4.2 Phenolic Compounds ........................................................................ 162 6.4.3 Carotenoid Compounds .................................................................... 170 6.4.4 Antioxidant Activity ......................................................................... 172 6.4.5 Glucosinolates ................................................................................... 173
6.5 Healthy Properties of Minimally Processed Vegetables .............................. 175 6.6 Regulations Governing Nutritional Declarations and Healthy Properties
of Foods ........................................................................................................ 176 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 178 References .............................................................................................................. 178
quality and absence of toxic substances are important factors determining the safety of fresh-cut vegetables for public consumption. Safety and sensory quality (color, texture, aroma, and flavor) are the quality characteristics of fresh-cut vegetables which have received the most attention from researchers and processors in the sector (González-Aguilar et al., 2005; Heard, 2005; Hurst, 2005; Jongen, 2005; Balla and Farkas, 2006).
