RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Storage conditions of refrigerated prickly pears in small processing industries
A1 Rodríguez Rodríguez, Elena María
A1 Díaz-Delgado, Goretti L.
A1 Lobo, M. Gloria
A1 Cano, M. Pilar
A2 Ingeniería Química y Tecnología Farmacéutica
A2 Grupo Integrado de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos
Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA)
K1 Opuntia
K1 Fresh cut
K1 Storage
K1 Whole fruit
K1 Microbial
K1 Nutritional and sensory qualities
AB Prickly pears (Opuntia ficus-indica), which are well known for their beneficial properties for human health, are the subject of many studies due to their high content of bioactive compounds. However, the presence of spines on the fruit’s surface is a factor that limits consumption. Therefore, the viability and nutritional quality of peeled and packaged white, orange, and pink prickly pears were studied during storage. Refrigerated whole fruits stored at 8 °C and 85% RH for 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks were electrically peeled and packaged with micro-perforated film. At each time point, their microbial quality; physical parameters, such as hardness, texture, and color; and chemical parameters, including pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids content, sugar content, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant capacity, and total phenol content, were analyzed. The mesophilic aerobic counts were lower than the values established by Spanish legislation (7 log (CFU/g f.w.)) until day 8 after packaging (or until day 6 after 4 weeks of storage). The hardness, texture, pH, sugar content, ascorbic acid content, and antioxidant capacity decreased significantly between day 0 and day 8 after packaging, independently of the number of weeks for which the whole fruits had been refrigerated previously. Furthermore, the changes in the parameters analyzed for whole fruits during storage were less remarkable. The evaluation of the sensory features was positive throughout the preserved period. The minimally processed prickly pears retained suitable microbial, nutritional, and sensory qualities when the whole fruits had been refrigerated for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks, facilitating their management in small processing companies.
SN 2077-0472
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/39773
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/39773
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 04-ene-2025