Assignment no.

Topic: Minimal Processing of Fruits

Submitted by: Muhammad Azeem

Reg no: FDST18111053

Department: Food Science and technology

Section: 4A

Date: 16 July, 2020

Subject: Fruits & Vegetable Processing

Submitted to: Dr. Tariq Mehmood

Minimal Processing:

Minimally Processed Foods are those which minimally influences the quality characteristic of a
food, whist at the same time giving the food sufficient shelf life during storage and distribution. •
Minimally processed technologies are techniques that preserve foods, but also retain to a certain
extent their nutritional quality and sensory characteristics by reducing the reliance on heat as the
main preservative action. • Minimally fresh processed fruit and vegetables are prepared for
consumption by using light combined methods such as washing, cutting, grating, shredding,
pulling the leaves off, etc. and packing at chilling temperatures under polymeric films that are able
to generate optimum modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions. It is also named fresh-
cut or ready-to-eat, is commonly free from additives and only needs minimal or no further
processing prior to consumption (Artés, 1992, 2000a; Artés and Martínez, 1996; Odumeru et al.,
1997).

Why Minimal Processing:

Studies show that consumers need for convenience are correlated with food choice, therefore the
fresh cut fruit and vegetable industry is working to increase the assortment of minimally processed
vegetable products that meets the consumer needs for quick and convenient products that preserve
their nutritional value, retain a natural and fresh colour, flavour and texture and contain fewer
additives such as preservatives. • As consumers increasingly perceive fresh food as healthier than
heat-treated food, it motivates a general search for food production methods with reduced
technological input. This phenomenon was observed over the last few years since the per capita
consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased significantly over the consumption of
processed vegetables such as canned vegetables (Orsat et al., 2001).

Minimal processing of fruits generally involves washing, peeling, slicing, or shredding before
packaging and storage at low temperature. All these steps have an effect on the nutrients, shelf life,
and quality of the prepared product. Examples of these products already on the market include
packaged shredded lettuce/cabbage/carrots, cut fruit and vegetable salads, and peeled/sliced
potatoes/carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower florets. Minimal processing of raw fruits and vegetables
has two purposes. First, it is important to keep the product fresh, but convenient without losing its
nutritional quality. Second, the product should have a shelf life sufficient enough to make
distribution feasible within the region of consumption. The microbiological, sensory, and
nutritional shelf life of minimally processed vegetables or fruits should be at least 4–7 days, but
preferably even longer.

Physiological Responses and Biochemical Changes:

Fruits are living organisms that continue to change after harvest. Plant tissues incur damage during
processing and in addition remain raw and living after processing. The physiology of minimally
processed fruits is essentially the physiology of wounded tissue. This type of processing, involving
abrasion, peeling, slicing, chopping, or shredding, differs from traditional thermal processing in
that the tissue remains viable (or “fresh”) during subsequently handling. Thus, the behavior of the
tissue is generally typical of that observed in plant tissues that have been wounded or exposed to
stress conditions. Within minutes of undergoing minimal processing of fresh produce, the rate of
respiration and ethylene production markedly increase, and essentially a “wound response” is
initiated. Both respiration and ethylene production will result in shorter shelf life of the product.

The ethylene will accelerate ripening, softening, and senescence, which leads to membrane
damage, while the respiration will use up energy reserves. Other consequences of wounding are
chemical and physical in nature, such as oxidative browning reactions and lipid oxidation or
enhanced water loss. Injury stresses caused by minimal processing result in mechanical rupture of
tissues and cellular decompartmentation leading to delocalization and intermixing of enzymes and
substrates. One such enzyme system is the ascorbic acid oxidase that oxidizes ascorbic acid to
dehydroascorbic acid, which can then further degrade to other compounds leading to browning.
Thus, nutritional quality such as vitamin C is lost. Therefore, wound-induced physiological and
biochemical changes take place more rapidly than in intact raw commodities, and microbial
proliferation may be accelerated. There is little information about the physiology and chemistry
affecting minimal processing of tropical fruit products. Such information is vital for the extension
of both the fresh and minimally processed products. Novel ethylene receptor inhibitors such as 1-
methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) that retard C2H4 biosynthesis have been tested on temperate fruits
to extend the shelf life.
Ethylene:

Ethylene is a naturally occurring plant growth hormone that has numerous effects on the growth,
development, and storage life of many fruits, and ornamental crops at very low concentrations
(L/L). It is produced by virtually all parts of the higher plants, including leaves, roots, flowers,
fruits, tubers, and also seedlings. The pathway of ethylene biosynthesis elucidated by Adam and
Young is now well documented, and in both wounding and ripening, the pathway is the same.
Methionine is first converted to S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), which then gives rise to 1-
aminocyclopropene-1-carboxylate (ACC), catalyzed by ACC synthase. The final step is catalyzed
by ACC oxidase (also known as the ethylene-forming enzyme), in which ACC is converted to
ethylene. In most plant tissues, the level of active ACC synthase determines the rate of ethylene
production; however, the mechanism(s) underlying the regulation of ACC synthase gene(s) during
plant development is unknown. Both ACC synthase and ACC oxidase transcript levels greatly
increase due to ripening and wounding.
There are various detrimental effects of ethylene on fruits and vegetables. It can cause yellowing
of green stem and leafy vegetables. Ethylene from either endogenous production or exogenous
applications stimulates chlorophyll loss and the yellowing of harvested broccoli florets. Russet
spotting (RS) is a postharvest disorder of lettuce in which small brown sunken lesions appear on
the leaf. It is caused by the exposure to hormonal levels of C2H4 at storage temperature of around
5°C. Many biotic and abiotic stresses stimulate phenylpropanoid metabolism and the accumulation
of phenolic compounds in lettuce. However, even though the level of phenolic compounds is
elevated in stressed lettuce, ethylene is still essential for the browning reaction, which is
characteristic of RS to occur. The firmness of many ripening fruits and vegetables decreases with
C2H4 treatment. This is usually beneficial when associated with ripening (e.g., bananas,
tomatoes), but if applied for too long, ripening can progress into senescence and the flesh can
become too soft. The crisp texture of cucumbers and peppers is lost upon exposure to C2H4. The
beneficial effects of C2H4 are realized by its application to growing plants in the field and
orchards, plants in the greenhouse, and harvested commodities.
Respiration:

Fruits are living organs of plants that undergo biological and biochemical activity even after they
are separated from their plants. Respiration is a sequence of reactions whereby sugars and other
substrates, for example, organic acids, are oxidized to carbon dioxide and water vapor, and energy
is released. The released energy is utilized to synthesize compounds such as proteins and
carbohydrates, which together constitute the tissues of the plant. In general, respiration converts
the stored energy into usable energy to sustain life. However, harvested or fresh-cut products
detached from the plants have a limited energy supply. Basically, the rate of deterioration of
harvested products is proportional to their rate of respiration. Hence, the higher the rate of
respiration, the shorter is the shelf life. The respiration rate of peeled and sliced ripe kiwifruit is
double of the whole fruit, but ripe bananas were unaffected by peeling and slicing.

Wound respiration in some plant tissues may be related to alpha-oxidation of fatty acids, which
oxidizes fatty acids to CO2, and is responsible for the CO2 released after slicing of potato tubers.
Respiration in plants is an oxidative degradation of sugars, organic acids, and lipids to produce
carbon dioxide and water with the release of energy. Modifying the atmosphere around the product
by lowering the amount of oxygen with an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide may lower
the metabolism with decrease in CO2 production and O2 consumption. The effects of low O2 and
high CO2 are additive, but the optimal concentrations of the two gases in the storage atmosphere
of fruits and vegetables and even between cultivars of the same species may vary.

Owing to the high affinity for O2 of the terminal oxidase enzymes in the electron transport chain
located in the mitochondria, the amount of O2 in the surrounding air must be reduced to below
10%. On the other hand, a change to anaerobic respiration will take place if the O2 concentration
approaches 2%. Although high CO2 and low O2 levels in the micro-atmosphere of fresh products
may extend their shelf life, off-flavor and off-odor developments may be caused by anaerobic
respiration.

Oxidative Browning:

Discoloration occurs at the cut surface of fruits as a result of the disruption of compartmentation
that occurs when cells are broken, allowing substrates and oxidase enzymes to come in contact
with each other. Wounding also induces synthesis of some enzymes involved in browning
reactions or biosynthesis of their substrates. Thus, browning intensity in diverse tissues and crops
can be affected by relative oxidase activities and substrate concentrations. Oxidative browning at
the cut surface is the limiting factor in storage of many minimally processed fruits and vegetables.
Phenyl alanine ammonia lypase (PAL) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of phenolic compounds.

Activity of PAL is increased in lettuce midrib tissue with wounding and storage in the presence or
absence of ethylene. PAL catalyzes the first reaction in the biosynthesis of plant phenylpropanoid
products. The phenolic compounds can then be oxidized by polyphenol oxidase (PPO), producing
brown polymers that can contribute to tissue browning in lettuce. When fruits such as apples and
bananas are cut, the cut surfaces usually turn brown within an hour. On the other hand, it takes
several hours for the section of cut or shredded vegetables such as lettuce to turn brown. This time
lag is considered to be due to the de novo biosynthesis of polyphenols. The lettuce tissues with the
highest susceptibility to enzymatic browning are the “white” tissue or the so-called midribs.

This browning is a major problem that arises during minimal processing and further storage of
lettuce midribs. Russet spotting of lettuce is characterized by the appearance of small, reddish-
brown spots or lesions on the midribs of the leaves [33]. Ethylene increases the activities of PAL,
peroxidase (POD), and PPO. Hence, there is a correlation between PAL activity and development
of RS in ethylene-treated lettuce midribs. Hyodo et al. found a significant increase in some
phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic and isochlorogenic acids in the RS-affected tissue.
Increased PAL activity promotes synthesis of cinnamic acid and their derivatives via the shikimic
acid pathway. These compounds are then available for lignin synthesis. Ethylene-induced POD
activity is correlated with increased lignin formation and cell wall thickening, one of the
characteristics of RS. Flavonoids and chlorogenic acid, the other products of the shikimic acid
pathway, are oxidized by PPO to form brown compounds.

Nutrient Losses: Ascorbic Acid Oxidation:

Fruits, either processed or “fresh,” are major sources of dietary vitamin C for humans. Before fruits
and vegetables are consumed, they have to undergo various handling, storage, and processing
steps. The vitamin C content of sliced, cut, or bruised fruits and vegetables may diminish rapidly
depending on these handling, processing, and storage conditions used. Ascorbic acid is an organic
acid found in fruits and vegetables. It is very soluble in water and is sensitive to alkali; oxygen;
and presence of copper, iron, and heat. Ascorbic acid is often considered to be equivalent to
vitamin C content; however, dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), the oxidized form of ascorbic acid,
also has vitamin C activity.

Further oxidation of DHAA converts it to 2,3-diketogulonic acid, which is devoid of biological

activity the loss of ascorbic acid provides a useful index of oxidative deterioration in minimally
processed fruits and vegetables. There are two aspects of ascorbic acid degradation. First, ascorbic
acid can be oxidized due to mechanical damage as a result of cutting. When cells of fresh product
are ruptured as occurs during cutting, chemical reactions are initiated, which shorten the storage
life of cut product. The enzyme, ascorbic acid oxidase, released when the cell walls are damaged,
will oxidize the ascorbic acid to DHAA, which can undergo further degradation to produce
products that no longer possess vitamin C activity. Undergoing treatment such as minimal
processing can trigger such chemical reactions. Second, ascorbic acid can be oxidized due to the
physiological activity that shortens storage life.

The auto-oxidation rate of ascorbic acid to DHAA by air is influenced by metal ion
concentration and pH. The rate increases in alkaline medium, while acetic acid restrains the
influence of Fe3+. Albrecht reported that the whole lettuce lost ascorbic acid during storage. 1-
MCP can delay senescence of broccoli. Agar et al. also reported that removal of C2H4 from the
storage atmosphere increased retention of total ascorbic acid in kiwifruit. Tay and Perera found
that 1-MCP was effective in reducing the loss of ascorbic acid in lettuce.
Water Loss:

Plant tissues are in equilibrium with an atmosphere at the same temperature with an RH of
99% 99.5%. Water loss will occur when there is reduction of water vapor pressure in the
atmosphere surrounding the tissue. In the whole fruit or vegetable, water in intercellular spaces is
not directly exposed to the outside atmosphere. However, cutting or peeling a fruit or a vegetable
exposes interior tissues and drastically increases the water evaporation rate. To subsequently
maintain the lowest possible water vapor pressure deficit, minimally processed products are
routinely handled in semipermeable film packages with low water vapor transmission rates.
Condensation within the package is most severe when the product is at a higher temperature than
that of the storage atmosphere, which is often the case when the product is first placed in the cold
storage room or transport vehicle.

Techniques to Extend the Shelf Life:

Various approaches have been used to control the undesirable physiological changes that adversely
affect the quality of minimally processed products. Refrigeration, humidity control, and dipping
in chemical solutions such as ascorbic acid and calcium have been used successfully to preserve
product quality and enhance shelf life. hurni and Watada reported that exogenous treatments with
calcium chloride (CaC12) dip reduced browning and retarded flesh softening of vegetables.
However, CaCl2 may also cause detectable off-flavors when used at levels higher than 0.5%.
Minimally processed products should be refrigerated (0°C-5°C) to prolong their quality and safety
1481. Removal of C2H4 from the storage environment of minimally processed fruits and
vegetables can retard tissue softening. Desirable modified atmospheres can be predicted and
created within and around commodities by selecting appropriate packaging. Controlled
atmospheres can reduce the effects of C2114 on fruit tissues and retard senescence, delay
softening, and help to extend the postharvest life. Edible coatings and films have been used
successfully with some commodities to provide useful barriers to moisture, 02, and CO2, while
improving package recyclability.
Conclusion:

Minimal processing is a growing processing trend that offers the consumer, convenience,
"freshness" of quality, nutrition, and safety. As it involves removing or reducing the natural
barriers to deterioration, it offers scientists an enormous challenge in trying to extend the shelf life
of minimally processed fresh produce. However. The consumer demand for minimally processed
products, changes in perceplion of the consumers for "freshness" of quality of fresh produce, and
the convenience of such products warrant further research and developments in this area. To do
this, a deeper understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the plant materials used for
minimal processing is essential. An out-come of such understanding is the development of 1-MCP
as an ethylene block.

Reference:

https://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sKgtq62GB_gC&oi=fnd&pg=PA137&dq=minimal+pro
cessing+of+fruits&ots=DHQaZHRBHN&sig=esPRn7Fhial328MukvG9PisV0pA#v=onepage&q=minimal%20
processing%20of%20fruits&f=false