Shelf-life extension of fresh-like ready-to-use pear cubes

Minimally processed fruit and vegetables are generally more perishable than the original raw materials due to the injury stresses during preparation that greatly increase tissue respiration and lead to deterioration through various biochemical pathways. In this paper, the effects of low intensity blanching treatments on enzymatic and microbiological stability on the fresh-like quality of ready-to-use pear cubes has been evaluated. Blanching treatments as well as packaging were carried out both in aseptic and in non-aseptic conditions. The combination of low intensity blanching with superficial enzymatic treatments has been carried out. The results confirm that the combination of a mild heat treatment (3 min at 95 degrees C) under aseptic conditions is enough to enhance the stability of this minimally processed product with an acceptable reduction in the texture. The superficial treatment with lysozyme did not result in an improvement in the stability of the blanched pear cubes during storage under refrigerated conditions. (C) 1999 Society of Chemical Industry.