EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PACKAGING MATERIALS ON THE QUALITY OF LEMON SLICES

In Spain and in southern east of Spain in particular, citrus production has predominantly focused on lemon, which is a fruit with great possibilities as a fresh-cut product for use in fruit salads and as garnishes for drinks or cocktails. Lemon slices have good stability during cold storage because of their antioxidant activity. Nevertheless, fresh-cut lemon slices, already present to a limited extent in the European market, still present some qualitative problems concerning chemical, physical and sensorial stability. One of the main problems of fresh-cut slices is their susceptibility to juiciness loss resulting from degradation of cell wall materials.
The aim of this work was to obtain fresh-cut lemon slices and packing them in different films for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Lemon slices were stored during 42 days with 3 different films composed by polyester-polyethylene differed in thickness: P (12-50 µm), M (12-60 µm) and I (12-72 µm). Quality attributes of slices were determined along storage together with gas composition and microbial counts. The greatest gas modification was obtained for film I (29±0.6 kPa CO₂ and 2±0.2 kPa O₂) and the lowest microbial counts, both mesophilic aerobics and yeast and moulds. However, exudate juice and fermentative odour were observed. Overall quality was best maintained with film M, which is recommended for commercial purposes.