Fresh-cut apple: effect of CaCl₂ dips on firmness and quality

The marketing of fresh-cut produce has increased rapidly due to the increased consumer demand for fresh and convenient foods. However, they have increased perishability and shorter shelf-life as compared with intact fruit. Firmness loss in fresh-cut apple is the main problem associated with quality loss, even under cold storage. Fresh-cut 'Golden Delicious', 'Granny Smith' and 'Scarlet Spur' apples were sliced, dipped in calcium chloride and in anti-browning solutions, packed and stored for five days at 4°C. Changes in headspace atmosphere, firmness and sensory quality were measured during storage. A significant reduction in the rates of O₂ depletion and CO₂ production was observed in all the samples. Treatments had beneficial effects on maintaining flesh firmness and reducing cut surface browning. The soluble solids content generally increased during fresh-cut storage, but without significant differences between treated slices and controls. The firmness and quality attributes of the treated samples up to five days of storage, showed no significant differences compared with the fresh apple, so they would be commercially acceptable at least until day five of storage.