Combined use of mild heat treatment and refrigeration to extend the postharvest life of organic pepper sticks, as affected by fruit maturity stage

RODONI LM; ORTIZ CM; LEMOINE M.L.; CONCELLÓN A.; VICENTE A.R

POSTHARVEST BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 117C p. 168 - 176

0925-5214

Given the proscriptionof using chemicals from synthesis, the alternatives for postharvest managementof organic produce are limited. Consequently, great interest is being devotedto develop and optimize alternative postharvest approaches. In this work we testedmild heat treatments for green and red fresh-cut peppers and evaluated their effecton quality maintenance under normal distribution and retail temperatures (4 °C).Pepper sticks (1 × 5 cm) at red and green ripening stages were heat-treated (HT)by immersion in water at 45, 50 or 55 ºC (1, 3 or 5 minutes) and qualitymaintenance during storage was evaluated. Green peppers were more tolerant toHT than red fruit. Both green and ripe peppers subjected to hot water dips at45 ºC for 3 min showed lower spoilage than the control. The treatments markedlyreduced soft rots (2 and 4 fold for red and green fruit respectively). Hotwater dips also prevented shriveling, weight loss, color changes and contributedto maintain lower fruit respiration during storage. The treatments did not altersugar content, acidity or antioxidant capacity. Despite of the effectivecontrol of soft rots only a slight reduction of microbial counts (<1 log CFUg-1) was found. This suggests that other responses besides biocide effectsor microbial wash-off are involved. The treatments delayed pectin solubilizationand softening and prevented membrane leakage. Short mild heat treatments (45°C, 3 min) may be a simple and appealing non-chemical approach to supplementthe benefits of low temperature management, extending the shelf life of organicfresh-cut green and red peppers.