The aim of this work was to study the effect of antibrowning agents combined with controlled atmosphere storage to improve the quality of fresh-cut persimmon. 'Rojo Brillante' persimmons were harvested with an external color index (CI) of -0.57 (where, CI=1,000*a/L*b). After removing fruit astringency by application of high levels of CO2, samples were cleaned, peeled, and cut in sections. Persimmon pieces were dipped in 1% ascorbic acid (AA), 1% citric acid (CA), or in water as control. Fruit samples were then placed in 3 different atmospheres (Atm-A = 21 kPa O-2 + 0.03 kPa CO2; Atm-D = 5 kPa O-2 + 10 kPa CO2; Atm-F = 5 kPa O-2) during nine days at 5 degrees C. Color (CIE L*a*b*), firmness, weight loss and visual quality were determined during storage. Control samples had lower L* and higher a* values than antioxidant-treated samples. In untreated control samples, Atm-D was the most effective reducing enzymatic browning; whereas, antioxidant-treated samples stored in Atm-F had lower hue values than those stored in the other atmospheres. In general, the firmness decreased during storage for all the treatments. Samples stored in Atm-A had the highest weight loss. In visual quality the judges ranked control samples as the most browned under all the storage conditions. Pieces treated with 1% CA and stored in Atm-A and Atm-D reached the limit of marketability after 7 days of storage, whereas the combination of 1% CA and Atm-F was evaluated above that limit during the 9 days of storage. Samples treated with 1% AA and those stored in Atm-D induced some darkening of the tissue (non-enzymatic browning), which limited the shelf life of fresh-cut persimmon and reducing the limit for application commercially. The results show that atmospheres with low O-2 combined with application of 1% CA could reduce the enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning and maintain shelf life up to nine days of storage.
