Minimal processing

A short presentation on minimal processing of fruits and vegetables.

1. MINIMAL PROCESSING OF FOODS DEBOMITRA DEY 10/3/2015 1

2. WHAT IS MINIMAL PROCESSING Minimally Processed Foods are those which minimally influences the quality characteristic of a food, whist at the same time giving the food sufficient shelf life during storage and distribution. Minimally processed technologies are techniques that preserve foods, but also retain to a certain extent their nutritional quality and sensory characteristics by reducing the reliance on heat as the main preservative action. Minimally fresh processed fruit and vegetables are prepared for consumption by using light combined methods such as washing, cutting, grating, shredding, pulling the leaves off, etc. and packing at chilling temperatures under polymeric films that are able to generate optimum modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions . It is also named fresh-cut or ready-to-eat, is commonly free from additives and only needs minimal or no further processing prior to consumption ( Artés , 1992 , 2000a; Artés and Martínez , 1996; Odumeru et al., 1997). 10/3/2015 2

3. WHY MINIMAL PROCESSING ? Studies show that consumers need for convenience are correlated with food choice, therefore the fresh cut fruit and vegetable industry is working to increase the assortment of minimally processed vegetable products that meets the consumers needs for quick and convenient products that preserve their nutritional value, retain a natural and fresh colour, flavour and texture and contain fewer additives such as preservatives. As consumers increasingly perceive fresh food as healthier than heat-treated food, it motivates a general search for food production methods with reduced technological input . This phenomenon was observed over the last few years since the per capita consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased significantly over the consumption of processed vegetables such as canned vegetables ( Orsat et al., 2001). 10/3/2015 3

4. General unit operations in a minimally fresh processed vegetable and fruit processing plant and the maximum recommended temperatures to each processing step. 10/3/2015 4

5. 10/3/2015 5 MINIMALLY PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: POTATO GRATED CARROT KIWI FRUIT PAPAYA FRUIT IMPREGNATED WITH PASSION FRUIT JUICE

6. 10/3/2015 6 PROCESSING GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF PREPEELED AND SLICED POTATO

7. 10/3/2015 7 PROCESSING GUIDELINES FOR GRATED CARROT

8. 10/3/2015 8 PREPARATION OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED KIWI FRUIT

9. 10/3/2015 9 MINIMALLY PROCESSED PAPAYA IMPREGNATED WITH PASSION FRUIT JUICE

10. BIOCONTROL T he addition of antimicrobial agent producing strains or the use of culture permeate, combined with refrigerated storage and good hygienic handling practices could be helpful to control spoilage and pathogenic bacteria in fresh-cut vegetables ( Torriani et al., 1997). GENETIC ENGINEERING To develop higher production and more resistant plant food This technology is mainly attributed to improve colour , aroma, flavour and taste of different fruit and vegetable products . MODIFIED ATMOSPHERIC PACKAGING (MAP) The aim of MAP is to create a optimum gas balance inside the package, such that the respiration activity of a product is as slow as possible, and the O2 and CO2 levels are not detrimental to the product . a modified atmosphere can be created by using proper permeable packaging material and by using a specified gas mixture . Gases like O2 and CO2 (2-5% each and rest N2). the aim is to have a gas composition where there is 2-5% CO2, 2-5% O2 and the rest N2. 10/3/2015 10 OTHER EMERGING TECHNIQUES FOR THE RAW MATERIALS FOR MP

11. 10/3/2015 11 EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR MINIMALLY PROCESSED FRUIT JUICES PULSED ELECTRIC FIELDS (PEF) Able to reduce microbial population in Apple juices. Electrodes are used with high pulse charged capacitor which passed through fluid/liquid food, potential energy is created across the cells, this caused changes in the cell membrane and causes cell death of the microbe. Studies were done on PEF for Orange juice, 35 pulses in electric field of 35 kV/cm was applied to reduce microbial growth without modifying nutrient content or the sensory properties. This also increased the shelf life of Orange juice to 14 days. HIGH HYDROSATIC PRESSURE (HPP) Applying hydrostatic pressure treatment to foods in the range of 4000-9000 atm , to inactivate microbial growth, as well as enzymes to prolong shelf life of food The production of HPP for non- pastuerized citric juices without Vit C loss, and an extended shelf life of about 17 months.

12. Factors that affect minimally fresh processed fruit and vegetables decay and shelf-life. 10/3/2015 12

13. The most important characteristic of fresh fruit and vegetable products is that they continue living after harvesting. Respiratory activity is a metabolic process that p rovides the energy for plant cells to stay alive and develop physiological and biochemical processes . Several factors affect the respiration rate of the product, such as the type and maturity stage of the commodity and the storage conditions after harvesting. The physical damage accrued during minimal processing, especially with wounding, causes disruption of the cellular membrane, putting enzymes and their substrates in direct contact which accelerates the loss of quality. The ones related to the quality are increase in Respiration Rate , production of Ethylene - accelerate loss of chrophyll from Spinach, but not Broccoli, as increase in Chrolphyllase is directly related to increased synthesis of Ethylene. Enzymatic browning occurs due to decompartmentalization of substrates of enzyme due to large exposure to O2 in cut fruits and vegetables. 10/3/2015 13 EFFECTS OF MINIMAL PROCESSING ON FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

14. 10/3/2015 14 REFERENCES Alzamora M Stella, Tapia S. Maria, Malo Aurelio, ‘’Minimally processed Fruits and Vegetables, Springer, 2000, Pg : 11-13 Alzamora M Stella, Tapia S. Maria, Malo Aurelio, ‘’Minimally processed Fruits and Vegetables, Springer, 2000, Ahvenainen Raija , Minimal Processing of Fresh Produce, Pg : 277-281 Da-wen Sun, “Emerging Technologies for Food processing”, Elsevier Academic Press Marcel Dekker Inc. NY, 2005 Pg : 672-702 Silva et al, Minimal Processing Fruits and Vegetables, Pg : 217-222

15. 10/3/2015 15 THANK YOU!