• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.190-195
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• 2010

Pressure, used as a minimal processing technology in the food industry, is a valuable tool ensuring microbiologically safe, shelf-stable fruit and vegetable production. Pressure could be used to deliver a greater variety of minimally processed products, as demanded by today's consumers. Weevaluated the effect of <400 MPa pressure, applied during chilling, on fresh fruit purees (strawberry, kiwi, aloe, and pomegranate) and vegetable extracts (from carrot and spinach) during cold storage (<$10^{\circ}C$) for 15-20 days. Samples were prepared in a processing facility in which total plate counts of falling and floating bacteria were controlled at $1{\times}100-10^1$ CFU/plate and $1{\times}10^2-10^3$ $CFU/m^3$ under conditions of $21-25^{\circ}C$ and 55-60% relative humidity. The aerobic plate counts of raw materials were less than $1{\times}10^3$ CFU/g. Evaluation parameters included microbiological safety, vitamin content, and sensory qualities. Although the overall quality of non-treated samples deteriorated with storage time at $10^{\circ}C$, samples pressurized at 250-350 MPa at $5-7^{\circ}C$ for 10 min showed less change, with no significant difference in microbiological safety, vitamin content, or sensory quality. The use of pressure extended the shelf-life during storage at $10^{\circ}C$.