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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dissipation Of Pesticide Residues On Grapes And Strawberries Using Plasma-Activated Water, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Laurence Scally, Miroslav Gulan, P. J. Cullen
Dissipation Of Pesticide Residues On Grapes And Strawberries Using Plasma-Activated Water, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Laurence Scally, Miroslav Gulan, P. J. Cullen
Articles
In this study, we present a novel atmospheric air plasma discharge for the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW), with the aim of reducing pesticide residues on fresh fruit. For this purpose, a large discharge volume pin-to-plate cold plasma reactor was employed. The pesticide-spiked grapes and strawberries were processed with varying PAW concentrations to study their efficacies for pesticide degradation combined with an evaluation of any induced changes in key nutritional and quality attributes. The results suggest that the reduction of chlorpyrifos was 79% on grapes and 69% on strawberries while that of carbaryl was 86% on grapes and 73% on …
In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment Of Cherry Tomatoes, N. Misra, Kevin Keener, Paula Bourke, J Mosnier, Patrick Cullen
In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment Of Cherry Tomatoes, N. Misra, Kevin Keener, Paula Bourke, J Mosnier, Patrick Cullen
Articles
Cold plasma is increasingly under research for decontamination of foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. The effect of cold plasma on food quality, however, remains under researched. This study investigates the effects of cold plasma generated within a sealed package from a dielectric barrier discharge on the physical quality parameters and respiration rates of cherry tomatoes. Respiration rates and weight loss were monitored continuously, while other parameters are reported at the end of storage period. Differences among weight loss, pH and firmness for control and treated cherry tomatoes were insignificant towards the end of storage life. Changes in respiration rates …
In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment Of Strawberries, N. Misra, Paula Bourke, Patrick Cullen, Sonal Patil
In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment Of Strawberries, N. Misra, Paula Bourke, Patrick Cullen, Sonal Patil
Articles
The ability to generate low temperature plasma at atmospheric pressure offers new opportunities to decontaminate biological materials, including fresh foods. In this study, strawberries were treated with atmospheric cold plasma (ACP), generated with a 60 kV dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) pulsed at 50 Hz, across a 40 mm electrode gap, generated inside a sealed package containing ambient air (42% relative humidity). The current-voltage characteristics revealed that the plasma operated in the filamentary regime. The background microflora (aerobic mesophillic bacteria, yeast and mould) of strawberries treated for 5 min was reduced by 2 log 10 within 24 h of post-ACP treatment. …
The Impact Of Delactosed Whey Permeat Treatment On Shelf-Life And Antioxidant Contents Of Strawberries, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Lubna Ahmed, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel. Rico
The Impact Of Delactosed Whey Permeat Treatment On Shelf-Life And Antioxidant Contents Of Strawberries, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Lubna Ahmed, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel. Rico
Articles
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of delactosed whey permeate (DWP) 27 treatment on antioxidant and physico-chemical properties of strawberries. Fresh strawberries 28 treated with 3 % DWP were analyzed for different quality, nutritional and microbiological 29 markers during 10 days of storage at 5 °C. The results showed that DWP treatment 30 significantly reduced incidences of decay (70 %) and numbers of total aerobic counts (~1.4 31 Log10 CFU/g) and yeast and moulds (~1.8 Log10 CFU/g). DWP treatment also inhibited the 32 loss of firmness (15 %) and maintained significantly (p
Orange Juices Enriched With Chitosan: Optimisation For Extending The Shelf-Life, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, J. Barat
Orange Juices Enriched With Chitosan: Optimisation For Extending The Shelf-Life, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, J. Barat
Articles
Optimisation of the incorporation of chitosan in orange juice was accomplished by the evaluation of quality and nutritional markers. Response surface methodology was applied to obtain quadratic and second degree response surface model equations. The analyses showed that increases in chitosan concentration extended the quality of the orange juice significantly (p < 0.05), reducing enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning and controlling the spoilage during the storage time; however, concentrations N 1 g L− 1 produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the concentrations of ascorbic acid and carotenoids associated with the positive charge of chitosan and its ability to flocculate and coagulate negatively charged substances. Also, concentrations N 1 g L− 1 were scored as unacceptable for the sensory panel due to an increase in bitterness. The study recommends the use of chitosan at concentrations up to 1 g L− 1 to extend quality and preserve ascorbic acid and carotenoids during storage time of fresh orange juice, thus avoiding the use of standard thermal treatments which produces a negative impact on the nutritional value. Industrial relevance: One of the major problems of fresh orange juice is its limited shelf-life. Spoilage and quick degradation of vitamins are two of the most important causes of quality loss during the shelf-life of this product. Moreover, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers against drinking unpasteurised orange juice products because of the potential contamination with Salmonella typhimurium and its association with an outbreak of human disease caused by this organism [FDA issues nationwide health alert on Orchid Island unpasteurised orange juice. Products Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts.]. The main objective of this study was the study of chitosan as a natural preservative for extending the shelf-life of orange juice and as an alternative to pasteurisation.
Use Of Neutral Electrolysed Water (Ew) For Quality Maintenance And Shelf-Life Extension Of Minimally Processed Lettuce, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Gary Henehan, José Barat
Use Of Neutral Electrolysed Water (Ew) For Quality Maintenance And Shelf-Life Extension Of Minimally Processed Lettuce, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Gary Henehan, José Barat
Articles
Experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of different treatments based on the use of neutral electrolysed water (EW) on fresh-cut lettuce. EW was diluted to obtain different free chlorine concentrations (120, 60 and 12 ppm) and compared with standard washing treatment of 120 ppm chlorine solution. Shelf-life quality and safety markers were studied at the beginning and at the end of the 7-day storage at 4 ºC. The use of EW decreased the respiration rate of the samples which might be related with the observed reduction in microbial spoilage. The use of EW also increased the activity of a …
Optimisation Of Steamer Jet-Injection To Extend The Shelf Life Of Fresh-Cut Lettuce, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Gary Henehan, J. Barat, Jesus Maria Frias
Optimisation Of Steamer Jet-Injection To Extend The Shelf Life Of Fresh-Cut Lettuce, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Gary Henehan, J. Barat, Jesus Maria Frias
Articles
Optimisation of short time blanching (steaming) was investigated using response surface methodology by analysing quality and microbial and nutritional markers over the shelflife of packaged fresh-cut lettuce. Steamer treatment time (5–10 s) and storage (1–10 days) were used as independent factors in order to optimise the process. Longer treatments (>10 s) were not feasible because of extensive damage caused to lettuce tissue. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher values of luminosity (L*), greenness (−a*) and sensory panel scores (fresh appearance, general acceptability and absence of browning) were obtained with samples treated for longer times with the steamer. Activity of browning-related enzymes present in photosynthetic tissue decreased in all the cases, however, longer treatment time (7.5–10 s) was needed with vascular tissues to reduce to similar activity values. These differences could be explained by the variation in tissue thickness. The longest steam treatment (10 s) reduced and maintained significantly (p < 0.05) lower mesophilic load than shorter treatments (5–8.5 s). However, significant (p < 0.05) decreases in vitamin C and carotenoids were observed in samples treated with longer treatments. Steamer treatment of 10 s could be considered the optimum time for maintaining the shelflife (mainly texture and browning) of fresh-cut lettuce for 7–10 days in optimum conditions.
Extending And Measuring The Quality Of Fresh-Cut Fruit And Vegetables: A Review, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, J. Barat
Extending And Measuring The Quality Of Fresh-Cut Fruit And Vegetables: A Review, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, J. Barat
Articles
The market sales of ready-to-use fresh vegetables have grown rapidly in recent decades as a result of changes in consumer attitudes, especially consumption of fresh-cut lettuce and carrot due to their use in prepared salads. Chlorine solutions have been widely used to sanitise fruit and vegetables in the fresh-cut industry. However, the association of chlorine with the possible formation of carcinogenic chlorinated compounds in water has called into question the use of chlorine in food processing. There is a real need to find alternatives for preservation of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables in order to improve the efficacy of washing treatments. …
Efficacy Of Steamer Jet-Injection As Alternative To Chlorine In Fresh-Cut Lettuce, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Gary Henehan, J. Barat
Efficacy Of Steamer Jet-Injection As Alternative To Chlorine In Fresh-Cut Lettuce, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Gary Henehan, J. Barat
Articles
Short-time steam processing was used as an alternative to chlorine (100 mg L−1) in sanitising fresh-cut lettuce. Quality (pH, water content, colour, potential browning, browning-related enzymes and texture), safety (mesophilic counts) and antioxidant markers (ascorbic and carotenoids) were monitored in lettuce stored for 10 days at 4 °C. The steam treatment produced a shocking effect on lettuce metabolism, showing a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in respiration (from day 3 to 7) and a partial inactivation of browning-related enzymes. Both effects were reflected in a significant reduction of browning. From a safety point of view, steam treatment kept the mesophilic load as low as chlorine treatment, and significantly lowers than the water control. However, antioxidant content, especially ascorbic acid but also carotenoids in a lower degree, showed a reduction compared with chlorine-treated samples. Despite the lower visual browning in steam-treated samples, the sensory panel scored similar values of acceptability and fresh appearance for both samples similarity.
Optimisation Of Calcium Lactate Washing Treatment On Salad-Cut Lettuce: Quality Aspects, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Jemina Mulcahy, Gary Henehan
Optimisation Of Calcium Lactate Washing Treatment On Salad-Cut Lettuce: Quality Aspects, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Jesus Maria Frias, Jemina Mulcahy, Gary Henehan
Articles
Markers of quality retention: colour, texture, browning, texture related enzymes and sensory properties, were analysed during storage. The use of high temperatures (50ºC) showed a positive effect on enzymes related to quality maintenance. It reduced the activity of the browning-related enzymes polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase but it increased the activity of pectin methyl esterase, an enzyme involved in the maintenance of texture. High calcium lactate concentrations (3 %) produced a reduction in the respiration rate of the salad-cut lettuce during storage, but also a loss of luminosity and greenness (a*). The use of high temperatures and intermediate calcium lactate concentrations …