Preservation of fresh-cut apple quality attributes by pulsed light in combination with gellan gum-based prebiotic edible coatings

Abstract

Pulsed light (PL) has received considerable attention during the last years as a non-thermal method for the superficial decontamination of fresh foods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality attributes of fresh-cut 'Golden Delicious' apples as affected by the combined application of a pulsed light treatment (12 J/cm2) and a gellan-gum based (0.5% w/v) edible coating enriched with apple fiber. Changes in color, firmness, antioxidant capacity, microbial growth and sensory attributes were determined during 14 days of storage at 4 °C. The combined application of coating and PL treatment retarded the microbiological deterioration of fresh-cut apples and maintained the sensory attribute scores above the rejection limits after prolonged storage. Incorporation of fiber in the coating formulation did not curb the sensory acceptability of apple cubes. Results show that the use of a gellan-gum based coating incorporating apple fiber followed by the application of a PL treatment significantly reduced softening and browning of apple pieces through storage. Our results reveal that PL treatments applied to gellan-coated fresh-cut apples can be used to decontaminate the cut fruit surface without dramatically affecting its fresh-like quality attributes, thus conferring prebiotic potential and contributing to their shelf-life extension.