Fresh-cut Fruit & Vegetables

Examples of products Physiology of fresh-cut products Preparation and handling Raw material and quality

Marita Cantwell [email protected] Ch. 36 Postharvest Technology Book Postharvest Short Course June 2013

FRESHCUTPRODUCTS

DEFINITION "Freshcutproduce"isdefinedas anyfreshfruitorvegetablethat hasbeenphysicallyalteredfromits originalform,butremainsina However,allproductsin freshstate.Ithasbeentrimmed, thiscategoryarealiveand peeled,washedand/orcutinto respire 100%usableproductthatis subsequentlypackagedtooffer Minimallyprocessed, consumershighnutrition, lightlyprocessed,partially convenienceandvaluewhilestill processed,precut,value maintainingfreshness. added

Notallproductsinthis categoryarecutinto pieces:Leafysaladgreens, peeledgarlic,individual grapes

Estimated Value-added Produce Sales in Select US Supermarkets*,$4.7 Billion, 2012

*Excludes club stores, supercenters, part of conventional grocery and other alternative formats.

Valueadd fruit 11.5% Valueadd veg 27.9%

Bagged Salads 60.6%

Overall Value-Added: Retail is about 40% Food Service about 60%

Sources: Estimated by Roberta Cook from various sources.

Fresh-cut Vegetables
Lettuces:cleaned,chopped,shredded Spinach,leafygreens,washed&trimmed Broccoli&cauliflowerflorets Cabbage,shredded Carrots,baby,sticks,shredded Celerysticks Onions,wholepeeled,slices,diced Potatoes&otherroots:peeled,sliced,diced Mushroomssliced Jicama,Squash,cucumberslices,dices Garlic,freshpeeled,slices Tomatoandpepperslices

In2012Bolthouse boughtbyCampbells

Simple lettuce to meal salad

Pear Gongonzola Kit

Single To 3 component

http://www.freshexpress.com

Romaine lettuces, green leaf lettuce and red leaf lettuce, lolla rosa, green tango lettuce, green oak leaf lettuce and red oak leaf lettuce, arugula, mizuna, tatsoi, baby spinach, radicchio, dried pears, frosted almonds, and pear gorgonzola vinaigrette. Ingredients may vary.

Sweetpotato for Food service

Many garlic products

Reducedpreptime cleanedandtrimmed Openbagandadd seasonings Reseal(ziplock)and microwave 2011PMAProduct InnovationAward

Strips taro, celeriac, sweetpotato

Steam in pouch Brussel sprouts and asparagus

PreparedVegetablesforHomeCooking/Grilling

http://www.grimmway.com

CARROT CHIPS CARROT DIPPERS

CARROT SNACKSTM for Horses!

Food Service Presentations

Express Gourmet Offerings Fresh-cut fruits; Salad meals

Chicago OHare Airport, 2011

Most of snacking is NOT from fruits/vegs Opportunities for Fresh-cut/fresh prepared Fruits & Veggies

From Snacking in America, NPD report, 2013

U.S. Supermarket Fresh-cut Fruit Category Shares (% of sales) Fruit Mix 21.1% Melons 21.6%

Apples 18.8%

Mango 2.2% Other 3.4%

Trays 18.4%

Pineapple 14.6%

2009. Source: Roberta Cook; Perishables Group

Examples fresh-cut fruit products

Lettuce Salad Preparation Harvest Trim, core, defect removal Cool and/or MA Dump, mechanical cut Cooling, disinfection Drying, centrifugation Component blending Weigh and package Metal detector, pack, palletize Temporary cold storage

Processing Baby Peeled Carrots

Washing Disinfecting Rapid cooling Cut to 2 inch sections Mechanical Peeling Mechanical shaping Disinfection Cooling Computerized quality and color sorting Packaging (form, fill, seal)

Trend to automated lines Minimize personnel at low temperatures Lower temperature for products 3 separate areas of cleanliness

Many large volume (lettuces) products are mechanically cut, but manual preparation generally results in superior quality
cutting romaine by hand; eliminate defects manually peeled garlic vs compressed air peeled broccoli and cauliflower florets manually trimmed manually trimmed and cut melons, pineapples

Fresh-cut Products

Food Safety Requirements

Meticulous cleanliness of equipment, employees and product Constant monitoring of sanitizer activity Rigid maintenance of refrigerated temperatures Complete integrity of packages Strict adherence to product use by dates & handling instructions

SANITARY PLANT DESIGN: Product, People, Maintenance

Focus: Implementation of GMPs

Design efficient, easy to clean & sanitize processing plants Mobility of equipment 2-3 areas to separate production steps
Vision systems for defect removal Quick release belts for cleaning Cutting systems Rudi Groppe; http://www.heinzen.com/products/

Objective of Wash Water Disinfection

Prevent Cross Contamination May reduce Microbial Load Will NOT Sterilize the Product Constant monitoring is required

Types of Disinfection Methods

Chemical
Oxidizer, Oxidizer and Acid, Non-Oxidizer Most chlorine based, but continued search for alternatives

Non Chemical
Irradiation (produce), heat, UV, filtration

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BABY LEAF LINE Sanitation vs Production What is CLEARLY wrong here?

Maintain Quality & Safety of Fresh-cut Vegetable Products

Use highest quality raw material Minimize mechanical damage; sharp knives Rinse cut surfaces; remove excess water Maintain strict sanitation; chlorinated water Use appropriate package and atmosphere Maintain product temperature at 1-2C

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Effects of Fresh-cut Processing

Physical
Mechanical shock, remove protective layers Cell fluids on cut surface, gas diffusion Exposure to microbial and chemical contamination

Physiological
Increased respiration, ethylene rates Increases in other biochemical reactions
Discoloration and Color Texture Aroma and Flavor Nutritional quality

Main strategy to minimize changes is to use low temperature Product cooled before cutting Product prepared in cold room

Abrasion peeling of carrots leads to fragmented cell walls that dry out and result in white blush; can rehydrate carrots.

New equipment peels and then cuts the carrots; have less problem with white blush

Diagrams from Saltveit, UC Davis

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12 11

Yellow Onion
Respiration rate (L CO2.g-1h-1)

140 120

Green Onions
Intact

Respiration (L CO2. g-1 h-1)

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Intact

LowPeeled temperature Diced minimizes wound 8 response 7

9 6

100 80 60 40 20 0

Chopped, Manual Chopped, Commercial

Diced onions discolor, 4 decay, soften and lose 3 fluid more readily than 2 whole peeled onions
5 1 0 0C 5C 10C

0C 32F

5C 41F

10C 50F

15C 59F

20C 68F

Temperature

Storage Temperature

More cutting, higher respiration rates Low temperature minimizes respiration Dices discolor, decay, soften and lose fluid more readily than whole peeled onions

Wounds induce phenolic metabolism Leading to unsightly brown pigments

Enzymatic Browning
PAL
Phenylalanine cinnamic acid other phenolics

PPO
+ O2 (o-Diphenol oxidase) (Laccase)

Complex brown polymers

quinones

PAL = phenylalanine ammonia-lyase PPO = polyphenol oxidase

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Discoloration Rating Scale for Romaine

1=none

2=slight

3=moderate

4=mod. severe

5=severe

Prevention of enzymatic/oxidative browning

Refrigeration (slows enzymatic reactions) Exclusion of oxygen (CA, MAP, edible films) Inhibition of PAL (lettuces & vegs) Inhibition of PPO (fruits) Use of reducing agents (ascorbic acid, etc.) Other chemical agents

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Examples of benefit of MA and chemical treatments

Romaine 1 Romaine 2

AIR

MA
6 days at 5C
(0.7%O2 + 8%CO2) C.A.+A.A. =citric acid + ascorbic acid

Packaging is a key enabling technology

Resealable bags

Single serve Snack packs

Steam in Bag

Rigid containers and bowls

Active packaging

Intelligent/Smart Packaging

Biobased packaging PLA resin

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Fresh-cut Packaging
Bags (LDPE) with holes
No modified atmosphere

Bags with microperforations

Often PP Permeability of O2:CO2 =1:1

Differentially permeable films

Layered plastics Co-extruded plastics Gas permeability ratios vary Permeable patches

Effect of O2 on Respiration

Often lower O2 and increase CO2 A too extreme atmosphere will lead to fermentation Temperature abuse leads to undesirable change in atmosphere An inappropriate atmosphere is worse than no modified atmosphere

Effect of CO2 on Respiration

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Temperature Effects on Retail Packaged Salads

Oxygen
0.20

9=excellent, 3=poor Ethanol 1=none, 5=severe

0 4 8 12 16 20 24

Percent

0.15

0C 32F 5C 41F 10C 50F 15C 59F 20C 68F

Acetaldehyde
120 100 80 60 40 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Visual Quality

0.10

0.05 20 0.00 25 0

L/kg

Carbon dioxide
3000

Off-odors
5

20

2500 2000 1500 1000

Percent

L/kg

15

10

500 1 0 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0 4 8 12 16 20 24

Days

Days

Days

Peiser and Cantwell, UC Davis

Cut Vegetable Quality and Modified Atmospheres

grape tomato celery sticks baby carrots broccoli florets sugar snap peas

Vegetable trays - want 18 day shelf-life Products in tray and compatibility issues - raw material sourcing and handling before prepare - shelf-life of individual products in tray varies - temperature; 5C too low for grape tomatoes - modified atmospheresnot good for all products in tray

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Lettuce Salad Quality Parameters

Fresh appearance No decay No discoloration Crisp texture Good aroma and flavor Good nutritional value

To date, these quality

components have been undervalued Current package atmospheres cause loss in all three

Temperature Management
Insures best product quality Longest shelf life Reduces microbial growth Required for MA packaging Modified atmospheres are a supplement to but not a substitute for good temperature management

Modified Atmospheres
Can be an important supplement to temperature Can retard deterioration Can retard discoloration in fresh-cuts products Can retard microbial growth

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Cut Lettuce Alternatives

Intact Baby size Clean Whole leaves Hearts of romaine Small mixed lettuces Organic Spring Mix

Rely on temperature Control; No MA used

MA not allowed on mushroom, Clostridium botulinin risks

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Chilling sensitive produce needs to be held at low temperature once cut

Relative Importance of Temperature and Modified Atmospheres for Fresh-cut melon 7.5C (45F)

10 days

5C (41F)

2.5C (36F)
Air
1% O2 Air + 10% CO2 1% O2 + 10% CO2

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IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERATURE Commercial prepared red onion rings and dices stored 9 days. Notice the quality at 0C

0C

5C

10C

Temporary Storage, Transport and Distribution

TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE

Good temperature control throughout distribution Temperatures increase during distribution Vertical air flow; ice is a problem

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Products
VEGETABLES Baby carrots, peeled onions, peeled garlic Lettuce salads, whole lettuce leaves, mixes small leaves (spring mix, mesclun),spinach leaves, peeled potatoes; sliced root mixtures Broccoli & cauliflower florets, shredded cabbage, shredded lettuce, shredded broccoli stem, celery & carrot sticks Pepper and tomato dices, cucumber slices, squash slices, mushroom slices, jicama sticks FRUITS Apple wedges, pineapple chunks, pomegranate arils Strawberry slices, melon chunks, mango cubes, citrus segments, kiwi, peach & pear slices, grape berries

Potential post-cutting storage life at 2 to 5C Days >21 14-18

10-14 4-9

10-14 2-9

For quality and shelf-life: All cut products benefit from low temperature, some benefit from modified atmospheres, and a few benefit from additional treatments

Flavor and nutritional life is about 2/3 shelf-life (appearance)

Applies to whole products

Applies to fresh-cut products

Problem: processors and handlers of freshcut products focus too much on shelf-life, not enough on flavor quality

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Quality of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables Standardization and Inspection

There are no U.S. grade standards for fresh-cut products;
raw product standards apply; http://www.ams.usda.gov

The following booklet provides guidelines and definitions

for inspection:
USDA. 1998. Fresh-cut produce: shipping point and market inspection instructions. Fresh products branch, Fruit & Vegetable Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. This publication is currently being updated

Best if used by dates

Factors affecting the nutritional quality of fresh-cut products

1. Genotypic variation 2. Preharvest factors 3. Maturity and ripeness stage 4. Fresh-cut operations 5. Storage conditions
Generally, post-cutting life based on visual quality ends before significant losses of nutritional content occur (Gil and Kader)

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High Quality Raw Material is Necessary for High Quality Fresh-cut Product

Brassicas have higher respiration rates than lettuces. Freshness of color and flavor ingredients extremely important.

Raw material quality

Some important factors-not always known or controlled Cultivar selection
Nitrogen, fertilization Water, irrigation Climate and season Maturity Damage on commercial washed
and packaged spinach (cv Space)

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Itishardtounderestimatetheimportanceofvarieties

Baby Carrots and Variety Selection

Uniform, bright orange color Small or no core High sugars with no harshness/bitterness Smooth exterior to minimize peeling loss No green should or green core problems Strong tops for mechanical harvest Balance between juicy texture and resistance to shatter

Immature

IMPORTANCE OF VARIETY
Fresh-cut Peach & Nectarine

Romaine 1 Mature

Romaine 2
Next Level Fresh Fruit Cuts, a division of Fruit Dynamics, Inc., Fresno, CA, has announced that after 5 years of product development, they have identified the proper cultivars, processes and packaging necessary to commercialize fresh cut peaches and nectarines, in many cases with a shelf life exceeding 15 days.

Romaine 1

Romaine 2 Overmature

400 varieties evaluated Flavor profile Resistance to discoloration Shelf-life requirement

http://www.californiafarmer.com/story.aspx/ fresh/cut/peaches/go/commercial/9/41540; Aug 2010

4D 5C Air

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Fresh-cut Fruit Challenges

Labor Intensive Production High Cost per pound-yields and price Fruit availability
Sourcing domestic and offshore Storage history Stage of ripeness ideal for cutting
Maturity at harvest Stage of ripeness; texture

Perishable cut product

Flavor softening, browning microbial

Flavor quality

Fresh-cut tomato for food service Shelf-life vs quality Importance of initial ripeness Importance of ripening conditions

Color Texture Composition-flavor

Difference in juice purge of 2 tomato cultivars

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High Quality Fresh-cut Products

Maintain Quality and Safety

Highest quality raw material Minimal cutting damage Meticulous sanitation Low temperature always and MA if needed Less shelf-life for better flavor

18th Annual

The Magazine for Value-Added Produce http://www.freshcut.com/ Annual guide to suppliers equipment, etc.

Tuesday-Thursday September 24-26, 2013 At the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center

3rd International Conference on Fresh Cut Produce

September 14-17, 2015 UC Davis

http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu

http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu

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