Despite a worldwide increase in demand for fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, in many countries these products are prepared in uncontrolled conditions and have the potential to pose substantial risk for consumers. Correspondingly, researchers have ramped up efforts to provide adequate technologies and practices to assure product safety while keeping n

Because they meet the needs of today’s consumers, fresh-cut plant products are currently one of the hottest commodities in the food market of industrialized countries. However, fresh-cut produce deteriorates faster than the correspondent intact produce. The main purpose of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables: Technology, Physiology, and Safety is to provide helpful guidelines to the industry for minimizing deterioration, keeping the overall quality, and lengthening the shelf life. It provides an integrated and interdisciplinary approach for accomplishing the challenges, where raw materials, handling, minimal processing, packaging, commercial distribution, and retail sale must be well managed. It covers technology, physiology, quality, and safety of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. In this book, the chapters follow a logical sequence analyzing most of the important factors affecting the main characteristics of fresh-cut horticultural products. The most relevant technologies to prevent deterioration and improve final overall quality of fresh-cut commodities are described in detail. This book covers the basics of the subject from quality preservation, nutritional losses, physiology, and safety to industry-oriented advancements in sanitization, coatings, and packaging. It examines such novel preservation technologies as edible coatings, antimicrobial coatings, natural antimicrobials, gum arabic coatings, and pulsed light treatments. Minimal processing design and industrial equipment are also reviewed. With its international team of contributors, this book will be an essential reference work both for professionals involved in the postharvest handling of fresh-cut and minimally processed fruits and vegetables and for academic and researchers working in the area.

Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables: Technologies and Mechanisms for Safety Control covers conventional and emerging technologies in one single source to help industry professionals maintain and enhance nutritional and sensorial quality of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables from a quality and safety perspective. The book provides available literature on different approaches used in fresh-cut processing to ensure safety and quality. It discusses techniques with the aim of preserving quality and safety in sometimes unpredictable environments. Sanitizers, antioxidants, texturizers, natural additives, fortificants, probiotics, edible coatings, active and intelligent packaging are all presented. Both advantages and potential consequences are included to ensure microbial safety, shelf-life stability and preservation of organoleptic and nutritional quality. Industry researchers, professionals and students will all find this resource essential to understand the feasibility and operability of these techniques in modern-day processing to make informed choices. - Provides current information on microbial infection, quality preservation, and technology with in-depth discussions on safety mechanisms - Presents ways to avoid residue avoidance in packaging and preservation - Includes quality issues of microbial degradation and presents solutions for pre-harvest management

Introduction to minimally processed refrigerated fruits and vegetables; Initial preparation, handling, and distribution of minimally processed refrigerated fruits; Preservation methods for minimally processed refrigerated fruits and vegetables; Packing of minimally processed fruits and vegetables; Some biological and physical principles underlying modified atmosphere packaging; Microbiological spoilage and pathogens in minimally processed refrigerated fruits and vegetables; Nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables subjetc to minimally processes; Regulatory issues associated with minimally processed refrigerated foods.

One of the main concerns of the food industry is the need for high-quality fresh fruits and fruit products with good sensory quality, long shelf life, and high nutritional value. To meet these demands, new processing technologies are under investigation and development. Advances in Fruit Processing Technologies incorporates fundamentals in food processing as well as the advances made in recent years to improve final product quality. With contributions from a panel of international researchers who present a blend of classical and emerging technologies, the book explores: Ozone, ultrasound, irradiation, pulsed electric field, vacuum frying, and high-pressure processing Ultraviolet and membrane processing Enzymatic maceration, freeze concentration, and refrigeration The effect of processing on sensory characteristics and nutritional value New trends in modified atmosphere packaging The use of fruit juices as a vehicle for probiotic microorganisms Prebiotic oligosaccharides as an alternative for dairy products Incorporating a series of case studies on the application of various technologies, the book reviews their advantages, limitations, successes, and failures. The contributors also examine the implications of food processing technologies on waste production, energy use, and resource requirements. This comprehensive survey of methods for optimizing fruit quality is an ideal resource for those in the fruit and vegetable industry looking for innovations that can improve efficiency, reduce waste, and cut costs.

This book presents a significant and up-to-date review of various integrated approaches to food engineering. Distinguished food engineers and food scientists from key institutions worldwide have contributed chapters that provide a deep analysis of their particular subjects. Emerging technologies and biotechnology are introduced, and the book discusses predictive microbiology, packing materials for foods, and biodegradable films. This book is mainly directed to academics, and to undergraduate and postgraduate students in food engineering and food science and technology, who will find a selection of topics.

The new edition of this highly acclaimed reference provides comprehensive and current information on a wide variety of fruits and processes. Revised and updated by an international team of contributors, the second edition includes the latest advances in processing technology, scientific research, and regulatory requirements. Expanded coverage inclu

The preservation of freshness of fruits and vegetables until their consumption is the aim of many research activities. The quality losses of fresh fruit and vegetables during cold chain are frequently attributable to an inappropriate use of postharvest technologies. Moreover, especially when fresh produce is transported to distant markets, it is necessary to adopt proper storage solutions in order to preserve the initial quality. Nowadays, for each step of the supply chain (packing house, cold storage rooms, precooling center, refrigerate transport, and distribution), innovative preservation technologies are available that, alone or in combination, could preserve the fresh products in order to maintain the principal quality and nutritional characteristics. In this Special Issue, these preservation technologies will be described, highlighting their effect on quality maintenance.

The benefits of food irradiation to the public health have been described extensively by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. and the World Health Organization. The American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association have both endorsed the irradiation process. Yet the potential health benefits of irradiation are unknown to many consumers and food industry representatives who are wary of irradiated foods due to myth-information from “consumer-advocate” groups. Food Irradiation Research and Technology presents the latest scientific findings of researchers at the leading edge of food irradiation. In this book, experts from industry, government, and academia: define the basic principles of irradiation and the public health benefits of irradiation describe advances in irradiation technology, detection technology, and radiation dosimetry review the regulations pertaining to food irradiation and the toxicological safety data provide food industry representatives and public health officials with effective methodologies to educate consumers and counteract misinformation review recent advances in the irradiation of meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, seafood, and the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment Food Irradiation Research and Technology appeals to a broad readership: industry food scientists involved in the processing of meat and fish, fruits and vegetables; food microbiologists and radiation processing specialists; government and industry representatives involved in the import and export of food commodities; and industry, local, and state officials involved in educational efforts regarding food irradiation. Food scientists and technologists share a responsibility to ensure that educational materials provided to the public regarding food safety and processing technologies are based on sound science and fact, not on misconceptions. Food Irradiation Research and Technology meets that goal.

Handbook of Vegetables and Vegetable Processing, Second Edition is the most comprehensive guide on vegetable technology for processors, producers, and users of vegetables in food manufacturing.This complete handbook contains 42 chapters across two volumes, contributed by field experts from across the world. It provides contemporary information that brings together current knowledge and practices in the value-chain of vegetables from production through consumption. The book is unique in the sense that it includes coverage of production and postharvest technologies, innovative processing technologies, packaging, and quality management. Handbook of Vegetables and Vegetable Processing, Second Edition covers recent developments in the areas of vegetable breeding and production, postharvest physiology and storage, packaging and shelf life extension, and traditional and novel processing technologies (high-pressure processing, pulse-electric field, membrane separation, and ohmic heating). It also offers in-depth coverage of processing, packaging, and the nutritional quality of vegetables as well as information on a broader spectrum of vegetable production and processing science and technology. Coverage includes biology and classification, physiology, biochemistry, flavor and sensory properties, microbial safety and HACCP principles, nutrient and bioactive properties In-depth descriptions of key processes including, minimal processing, freezing, pasteurization and aseptic processing, fermentation, drying, packaging, and application of new technologies Entire chapters devoted to important aspects of over 20 major commercial vegetables including avocado, table olives, and textured vegetable proteins This important book will appeal to anyone studying or involved in food technology, food science, food packaging, applied nutrition, biosystems and agricultural engineering, biotechnology, horticulture, food biochemistry, plant biology, and postharvest physiology.