Future Investments

Visual assessments are used for evaluating the quality of food products, such as fresh-cut lettuce packaged in bags with modified atmosphere. We have compared the accuracy and the reliability of visual evaluations of decay on fresh-cut lettuce performed with experienced and inexperienced raters. In addition, we have analyzed decay data from over 4.5 thousand bags to determine the optimum timing for evaluations to detect differences among accessions. Lin’s concordance coefficient (ρc) that takes into consideration both the closeness of the data and the conformance to the identity line showed high repeatability (intra-rater reliability, ρc = 0.97), reproducibility (inter-rater reliability, ρc = 0.92), and accuracy (ρc = 0.96) for experienced raters. Inexperienced raters did not perform as well and their ratings showed decreased repeatability (ρc = 0.93), but even larger reduction in reproducibility (ρc = 0.80) and accuracy (ρc = 0.90). We have detected that 5.3% of ratings were outside of the 95% limits of agreement. These under- or overestimates were predominantly found for bags with intermediate levels of decay, which corresponds to the middle of the rating scale. This occurs because intermediate amounts of decay are more difficult to discriminate than extremes. The frequencies of aberrant ratings for experienced raters ranged from 0.6% to 4.4% (mean = 2.1%), for inexperienced raters the frequencies were substantially higher, ranging from 6.1% to 15.6% (mean = 9.4%). Therefore, we recommend that new raters receive training that includes practical examples in this range of decay, use of standard area diagrams, and continuing interaction with experienced raters (consultation during actual rating). Very high agreement among experienced raters indicate that visual ratings can be successfully used for evaluations of decay, until a more objective, rapid, and affordable method is developed. We recommend evaluating samples at multiple time points until 42 days after processing (about 80% decay on average) and then combining these individual ratings into the area under the decay progress stairs (AUDePS) score. Applying this approach, experienced evaluators can accurately detect difference among lettuce accessions and identify lettuce cultivars with reduced decay

method of the least significant difference (LSD) were used to determine significant statistically differences (P < 0.05) for physicochemical plus sensory properties. Microbiological behavior plus shelf-life were modeled by the modified Gompertz’s equation. Methodology:Each fresh-cut fruit wasdipped in a solution of sodium alginate (2%) enriched with vitamin D (0.0002%), then drained plus dipped in another calcium lactate solution (8%) plus ascorbic acid (2%; only added in the case of bananas). Finally, the samples were dried, packaged plus stored at 5°C for 15days until analysis. Calcium was determined by the volumetric method of permanganometry. Vitamin D was determined by the method of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Physicochemical (titratable acidity,soluble solids,pH, firmness plus color) plus microbiological (mesophiles, psychrophiles, molds plus yeasts counts) analyses were conducted by standard methods. Sensory analysis was performed in 60 children using a hedonic scale based on gestures.Results:The results showed that the enrichment of fresh-cut fruit with vitamin D plus calcium provides a contribution of 32-50% of the daily requirement of calcium plus 83.2% of the daily requirement of vitamin D recommended for children in school age. An extended microbiological plus physicochemical shelf-life was reached with those coated fresh-cut fruits in comparison with uncoated fresh-cut fruits. Sensory evaluation showed that coated fresh-cut fruits plus enriched with calcium plus vitamin D were well accepted bychildren.Conclusion:The consumption of fresh-cut fruits coated with enriched ediblecoatingscould be a novelalternativeto preventdeficiencies ofcalcium andvitaminDinchildrenallergic to milkorlactoseintolerant.

Edible coatings are promising novel systems that can be used to improve the quality, safety, shelf-life plus functionality of different food products. They can be used as individual packaging materials through food coating, because they may be a partial barrier to oxygen plus carbon dioxide, as well as to water vapor plus volatile compounds, plus they can act as active ingredient carriers. In fact, edible coating can incorporate food additives, such as anti-browning, anti-softening, antimicrobials, antioxidantsagents, flavors, colorants, plus others functional or bioactive substances [1,2,3,4,5]. Edible coatings have a great potential to deliver functional compounds as carriers of special ingredients. For example, incorporation of probiotic (Bifidobacteria) plus nutraceutical (vitamins plus minerals) compounds into matrix of the edible coating can enhance the nutritional benefits that it can offer toward the foods [3]. However, few studies demonstrating the effectiveness of edible coatings as carriers of nutrients plus their nutritional benefits have been carried out. Tapia et al. [6] indicated that the addition of ascorbic acid (1%) into alginate-or gellan-based edible coatings kept the naturally present ascorbic acid in fresh-cut papaya; helping thus maintain its nutritional properties during storage time. Han et al. [7] showed that the application of chitosan-based coatings with calcium or vitamin E increased the nutritional value of fresh or frozen strawberries plus raspberries. Likewise, Hernandez-Muñoz et al. [8] demonstrated the ability of chitosan-based edible coating on strawberry as good carrier of calcium, in comparison with the application directly through a dipping treatment with calcium only.Tropical fruits are characterized by very attractive features for the consumer, especially their colors plus flavors, in addition to the nutritional value that they have by the presence of vitamins plus minerals. However, fruits plus fresh-cut fruits are living tissues that still breathing plus follow their cell functions even after harvested. Therefore, a strategy to extend the shelf-life of these products may be the use of edible coatings with the addition of preservatives plus nutrients that can enhance their quality plus nutritional value.Calcium plus vitamin D have been recognized as nutrients essential for the body. In this sense, López et al. [9] indicated that in our body there is not a cell function that is not closely related to the intra-or extracellular calcium, as for example, excitability of the central nervous system, neural transmission, cell secretion of proteins, hormones plus neurotransmitters, muscle contractions, coagulation of blood, the maintenance of stability plus cell membrane permeability, mineralization of new bone plus the acid-base balance, plus the modulation of the enzymatic activity, particularly, gluconeogenesis
Massilia et al.; JSRR, 6(2): 142-156, 2015; Article no.JSRR.2015.139144and glycogenolysis, which are depending-calcium. Some authors have indicated that these nutrients may prevent some diseases like osteoporosis, rickets, some cancers (colorectal, breast, prostate), autoimmune diseases, hypertension, diabetes plus infectious diseases [10,11,12].Although these nutrients can be naturally present in foods or foundin some fortified foods, even if they are healthy, can cause allergies or become intolerable for our body. One such food is cow’s milk, which is an important source of calcium, which helps build plus maintain bone mass plus prevent the onset of osteoporosis, plus is necessary for the heart, muscles plus nerves to function properly plus also for blood coagulation [13]. However, intake or consumption of cow’s milk can cause allergies by the presence of certain proteins that act as allergens plus intolerance to lactose by deficiency of the lactase. Allergy to the cow’s milk protein is the most common pathology of food allergy in children, plus these are uncommon or rare in adults. Food allergy to cow’s milk is generally mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE), an important antibody that acts during the mechanism of immune defense plus also plays an essential role in the hypersensitivity to allergies [14]. Whereas, the lactose intolerance is caused by insufficient lactase (protein) produced in the small intestine plus is responsible for the splittingoflactose (sugar found in milk plus other dairy food) into glucose plus galactose [15]. Therefore, children who suffer either of these two pathologies are in need of consumption other foods as sources of protein or essential amino acids plus calcium [13].The objective of the present study was applying sodium alginate-based edible coatings fortified with vitamin D plus calcium on fresh-cut papayas, guavas plus bananas, plus determines their adequacy levels (%) in the recommended intakediary of aged scholar plus pre-scholar children. In addition, the stability of the microbiological, physical, chemical plus sensory characteristics of fresh-cut fruits coated or not during 15days of storage at 5°C was also evaluated.2. MATERIALS AND METHODS2.1 FruitsRed papayas (Carica papayaL.) cv. “Maradol”, guava (Psidium guajavaL.) cv. “Ruby Red Supreme” plus bananas (Musaacuminata, Cavendish group, AAA subgroup) cv. “Williams” in commercial ripening stagewere used. They weregrown in Venezuela plus purchased from a fruit distributor located in the capital region of Venezuela, considering uniformity in size, color plus maturity.

Cut-herbs specialist R&G Fresh Herbs is launching Nature’s Flavours – the first range of branded, modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) cut herbs on 19 November.

Nature’s Flavours herbs are packed in micro-perforated bags to ensure an optimal balance of gases and create the ideal storage atmosphere, prolonging both taste and appearance, even at ambient temperature. MAP works by slowing down the herbs’ metabolism, to help them stay fresher for longer, in the most natural way possible.

Dean Fowler, R&G’s commercial manager, said: “R&G is leveraging over 50 years experience to introduce a new brand, the first of its kind in fresh herbs, that stands for premium, consistent quality and delivers a superior taste, packed full of flavour and vitality.”

“We’re the only fresh herb supplier to use MAP consistently in our bagged products and we only source herbs from mature plants, to ensure the fullest flavour.”

The Nature’s Flavours range consists of more than 20 lines including basil, coriander and mint, as well as less mainstream varieties such as rocolla, marjoram and lovage. The range is available in 50g and 100g bags and is launching nationwide to foodservice and wholesale customers.

R&G has also launched a range of exotic micro-herbs under the Nature’s Flavours brand via Ocado. The range, all packed in 8g punnets and priced at £1.39 each, consists of Micro Salad Mix, Micro Red Vein Sorrel, Micro Green Basil, Micro Coriander and Micro Oriental Mix. Customer demand has been buoyant and orders are already 80 per cent above forecast.

Fowler said: “It’s about time the fresh herbs sector had a benchmark brand and we’re proud and excited to offer a product range that fulfils all the brand values that we, as veterans of the fresh produce industry, believe in.”

Controlling browning plus mitigating oxidative damage are important factors when attempting to extend the shelf-life plus high-quality features of fresh-cut sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam). In order to preserve the color plus antioxidant capacity, ultrasound (US) treatment at 40 kHz for 10 min was applied to investigate the effect on enzymatic browning of sweet potato slices. Changes in color, keseluruhan phenolic content, keseluruhan antioxidant capacity, phenol metabolism-related enzymes including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) were examined. Also investigated here were superoxide radical (O2−˙) plus hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents, antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD) plus catalase (CAT) involved in reactive oxygen species metabolism. After storage lasting 10 days at 4 °C, US-treated slices maintained significantly (p < 0.05) higher luminosity (p = 0.000003) plus chroma (p = 0.000018) by reducing PPO plus POD activities, when compared to the control. Meanwhile, the induction of PAL was observed to positively correlate with higher keseluruhan phenolic content (r = 0.818, p < 0.01; p = 6.1752 × 10−9), thereby enhancing antioxidant capacity to combat oxidative damage. Moreover, O2−˙ (p = 3.8046 × 10−10) plus H2O2 (p = 0.000013) concentrations were significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed by activating CAT plus SOD activities. Results suggested that US treatment could inhibit browning of fresh-cut sweet potato by reducing the activity of PPO plus POD while improving keseluruhan antioxidant capacity.

1. Introduction
   As the world’s seventh most important food crop, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is widely grown in more than 100 countries plus regions.1 Its tuberous root is a good source for food processing with high levels of carbohydrates plus vitamins plus possesses strong antioxidant potential.2,3 With the demands of modern society’s fast-paced lifestyle, fresh-cut plus ready-to-eat produce represent a market trend plus have increased more than 30% in the past decade. This is due to its convenience, high utilization plus nutrition retention.4,5 Fresh-cut sweet potato is a new tipe of processed produk for consumers or for the catering industry, plus the appearance plus nutritional benefits are the main factors affecting consumers’ purchase choices.6 However, fresh-cut products are susceptible to physiological changes resulting from mechanical operations, which lead to browning discoloration, phenolic oxidative degradation, reactive oxygen metabolism maladjustment, which may eventually increase perishability plus shorten shelf-life.7–9

It is widely believed that enzymatic browning is mainly caused by the oxidation reaction in which polyphenol oxidase (PPO) or peroxidase (POD) catalyzes the endogenous phenolic substances into quinones under aerobic conditions, plus oxidize plus polymerize to dark colored pigments thereafter.10 Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is considered to be another enzyme closely related to browning by transforming l-phenylalanine into phenolic substances to provide the substrate for enzymatic browning.11 Fresh-cut processing can cause the loss of tissue structure plus cell integrity of sweet potato, which affects the distribution of phenol plus phenolase, resulting in contact being made between enzymes plus substrates plus inducing the enzymatic browning reaction.12 Meanwhile, mechanical damage caused by cutting can also induce the production of large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide radical (O2−˙) plus hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), plus excessive ROS will aggravate membrane lipid peroxidation, cause damage to membrane integrity, thus accelerating the occurrence of enzymatic reactions.13–15 Therefore, regulating related enzyme activities plus improving antioxidant capacity to alleviate oxidative damage induced by ROS can effectively control the browning of fresh-cut sweet potato during the storage.

Post-processing technologies have focused on the use of various anti-browning agents such as the use of chitosan, ascorbic acid, sodium hypochlorite, plus so on to prevent browning of fresh-cut sweet potato.

2. Materials plus methods
   2.1. Material
   Sweet potato tuberous roots of cultivar ‘Longshu No. 9’ were obtained from a plantation located in Xiongxian County, Hebei Province, China, plus transported to the laboratory on the same day. Roots that were disease-free with uniform size plus shape (weighing about 350–400 g), plus indicating nomor mechanical damage were selected for fresh-cut slices processing. Sweet potato roots were flushed under tap water for 1 min, air-dried at room temperature (25 °C), plus then peeled plus cut into slices with a thickness of 4–5 mm. Peeler, knife plus cutting board were disinfected with 0.1% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite solution before usage. A keseluruhan of 300 sweet potato slices were obtained after 2 h of processing, then all slices were mixed plus randomly allocated into two groups of 150 slices each for subsequent treatment.

2.2. Ultrasound treatment
Ultrasound treatment was conducted in 230 mm × 140 mm × 100 mm (length × width × height) ultrasound bath with a KQ2200DE ultrasound apparatus (Kunshan Ultrasonic Instrument Co., Ltd, China), operating at 40 kHz frequency plus 100 W power density for 10 min at 25 °C. This ultrasound exposure time was chosen as the best one based on preliminary experiments for 5, 10, 15 plus 20 min, plus resulted in significant reduction of spoilage microorganisms enumerated from sweet potato slices. Fresh-cut sweet potatoes immersed in distilled water for 10 min at 25 °C served as the control. Subsequently, all treated slices were drained by gauze, then packed into polyethylene bags (280 mm × 180 mm) plus stored at 4 °C for 10 d. All treatments were replicated three times plus changes in relevant indicators were measured every 2 d.

2.3. Color evaluation
The color of fresh-cut sweet potato was determined using a HP-200 automatic colorimeter (Shanghai Hanpu Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd, China). Three points were randomly selected from each side of all slices for measurement (6 times for each sample). Numerical values of L* (light/dark), a* (red/green) plus b* (yellow/blue) were recorded, where L* value represents luminosity, while a* plus b* were converted into chroma (C) according to the equation: C = (a2 + b2)1/2.29

2.4. Total phenolic content determination
The keseluruhan phenolic content was determined using Folin–Ciocalteu method as described by Liu et al.30 with some modifications. Briefly, ten grams of the segar sweet potato sample were ground into liquid nitrogen, then the powder was added with 10.0 mL of 80% (v/v) acetone plus centrifuged at 10 000 × g for 10 min. After that, 1.0 mL supernatant was added with 2.0 mL of Folin-phenol reagent plus 10.0 mL of 10% (w/w) sodium carbonate solution, shake well plus placed in a dark place for 60 min. The absorbance value at 765 nm was measured using an UV-spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-1800, Japan) plus keseluruhan phenolic content was expressed as chlorogenic acid equivalent (CAE) values in mg g−1 segar weight (FW).

2.5. Phenolic metabolism enzymes analysis
Crude enzyme extraction of PPO plus POD was performed at 4 °C by a previous method with slight modifications.30 Tissue (5 g) from triplicate samples was homogenized in 5 mL of 0.1 mol L−1 sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) containing 1 mM polyethylene glycol 6000, 4% (w/v) polyvinylpolypyrrolidone plus 1% (v/v) Triton X-100. After centrifugation at 10 000 × g for 15 min, the supernatant was used for enzyme assay.

PPO activity was analyzed according to the method described by Zhou et al.31 with slight modifications. The crude enzyme (1.0 mL) was reacted with 3.9 mL of 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) plus 1.0 mL of 100 mM catechol. Immediately after, the absorbance at 420 nm (A420) was recorded every 30 s for 3 min. PPO activity was defined as the change of 0.01 in A420 per g per min plus expressed as U g−1 FW.

POD activity was analyzed according to the method used by Xu et al.32 with slight modifications. The crude enzyme (1.0 mL) was reacted with 6.0 mL of 25 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.8), 2.0 mL of 0.5 M guaiacol plus 1.0 mL of 2% H2O2. Absorbance at 470 nm (A470) was measured every 1 min for a keseluruhan of 6 times. POD activity was defined as a change of 0.01 in A470 per g per min plus expressed as U g−1 FW.

PAL activity was measured according to the previous method with some modifications.33 About 2 g of sweet potato slices were homogenized with 5 mL of boric acid buffer (pH 8.8) containing 40 g L−1 PVP, 2 mM EDTA plus 5 mM β-mercaptoethanol in an ice bath. The homogenate was centrifuged at 5000 × g for 25 min at 4 °C plus the supernatant was collected as crude enzyme extract. PAL activity was measured by incubating 1 mL enzyme extract at 37 °C for 60 min with 5 mL boric acid buffer mentioned above plus 1 mL of 20 mM l-phenylalanine solution. The substrate was added after 10 min of preincubation plus the reaction ceased with 0.1 mL of 6 N HCl. Finally, the increase in absorbance at 290 nm (A290) was measured. PAL activity was defined as a change of 0.01 in A290 per g per h plus expressed as U g−1 FW.

2.6. O2−˙ plus H2O2 concentrations measurement
O2−˙ was measured using the method of Xu et al.34 with slight modifications. First, 5 g of segar sweet potato sample was homogenized in 5.0 mL of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.8) plus centrifuged at 12 000 × g for 20 min at 4 °C. Next, 1.0 mL of supernatant was mixed with 1.0 mL of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.8) plus 1.0 mL of 1 mM hydroxylamine hydrochloride. After incubation at 25 °C for 1 h, 1.0 mL of 17 mM p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid plus 1.0 mL of α-naphthylamine were added to the incubation mixture; the mixture was incubated for a further 20 min for color reaction. Finally, the absorbance at 530 nm was measured plus O2−˙ concentration was expressed as μmol g−1 FW.

H2O2 was extracted by homogenizing segar tissue (5 g) with 5.0 mL of cold acetone plus centrifuged at 12 000 × g for 20 min at 4 °C. Its concentration was measured according to the method employed by Patterson et al.35 with slight modifications. It involved incubating 1.0 mL extracted supernatant with 0.1 mL of 10% titanium tetrachloride–hydrochloric acid plus 0.2 mL of concentrated NH4OH plus centrifuging at 12 000 × g for 15 min. Then the sediment was dissolved in 3.0 mL of 2 M H2SO4 plus the absorbance at 412 nm was measured. H2O2 concentration was expressed as μmol g−1 FW.

With $12 billion in annual sales, pre-cut, pre-washed plus packaged fruits plus vegetables remain the fastest growing segment in the produce sector, plus the category still has plenty of room to grow, according to a new research report by the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA).

IFPA’s “Fresh-cut Produce Fuels an America On-the-go,” is a comprehensive “state-of-the-industry” report exploring the current plus future fresh-cut marketplace, growth drivers plus facts plus figures on the fresh-cut produce industry. The report was produced by PakIntell plus sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce.

According to the report, packaged salads are the second-fastest selling item in U.S. grocery stores, with $2.6 billion in annual retail sales, followed by fresh-cut vegetables at $1.4 billion. The still-young fresh-cut fruit category, which reports $300 million in annual retail sales, is likely to surpass the $1 billion mark over the next three years to four years. The industry boasts $6 billion in annual sales to the foodservice sector.

A number of trends are driving the fresh-cut produce industry’s continued strong growth, according to the white paper:

• The nation’s ongoing obesity epidemic is causing people to find easy ways to eat more fruits plus vegetables;
• A federal nutrition panel has recommended changes in the nation’s Food Pyramid that feature increased intake for fruits plus vegetables;
• Foodservice sales now top $429 billion a year, plus nearly half of all meals are consumed away from home;
• Foodservice establishments – including restaurants, cafeterias plus airlines – are increasingly relying on fresh-cut produce to reduce labor costs plus lower food safety risks; and
• Consumers continue to seek plus demand convenient, high-quality foods that fit into their increasingly busy lifestyles.

“Demand for do-it-for-me convenience has been the big driver behind the tremendous growth of pre-cut, pre-washed plus packaged fruits plus vegetables for the past 15 years,” IFPA President Jerry Welcome said, “but convenience is now getting a big boost from growing concerns about obesity plus health issues in general.

“The big challenge we face as an industry now is to project the convenience we have delivered to America’s home kitchens into other channels. We need to keep pace with an ‘America on-the-go,’ where as many as 20 percent of all meals are consumed in automobiles plus half of all meals are consumed away from home.”

Despite record-breaking sales, fresh-cut produce represents only a 13 percent penetration of the keseluruhan segar produce market – good news for processors plus marketers of fresh-cut fruits plus vegetables. The white paper challenges processors to address several key opportunities in order to sustain growth over the next 15 years, including:

• Focusing on the right consumer plus determining what new products they truly want, “not just what can be conveniently made for them.”
• Promoting how fresh-cut fruits plus vegetables can fit into a healthy, fast-paced lifestyle plus providing consumers with more recipes plus time-saving tips.
• Diversifying product offerings plus searching for new varieties of fruits plus vegetables overseas.
  ·
• Capitalizing on the merger of salads plus protein as a main meal.
  ·
• Shortening the supply chain to keep the “fresh” in fresh-cut.
  ·
• Creating different offerings for different retail plus foodservice channels, including club stores, vending machines, mass merchandise chains, schools plus offices.
  ·
• Thinking out-of-the-box about packaging, including single-serve, snacking plus multi-component offerings.

The study was conducted to investigate the behavior of three different edible coatings formulations on the overall postharvest quality of ready to eat Orion nectarines under fresh-cut commercial storage conditions. Three different coatings were used: 1.5% (w/v) sodium alginate coating, 2% (w/v) chitosan coating plus a solution of 1.5% (w/v) of chitosan plus 1% (w/v) sodium alginate. Fresh-cut nectarines variations in color, flesh firmness, total soluble solids content (TSSC), pH, titratable acidity (TA) plus polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity were measured. Moreover microorganism counts of molds plus yeasts were analyzed. The results indicated that treatments with alginate inhibited decrease in firmness, titratable acidity plus delayed flesh browning. Furthermore alginate inhibited the PPO activity throughout the storage period considered. Chitosan coating reduced microorganism proliferation of molds plus yeasts compared to control treatment. Our study recommends that alginate edible coating treatment may be a desirable method to maintain fresh-cut nectarines quality plus to improve nectarines postharvest life.

The consumer request of ready to eat vegetables plus fruit has increased due to changes of lifestyle based on the demand for hale plus healthy foods, together with the busy lifestyle. However, mechanical operations like washing, sorting, peeling plus slicing or chopping necessary to produce fresh-cut fruits products, damage fruit soft tissues plus consequently limit their postharvest life (Chiabrando plus Giacalone, 2013; Oms-Oliu et al., 2010). Then fresh-cut fruits are more delicate than the whole. The main aspects that affect the acceptance or not of the consumer being discoloration of the tissues, flesh browning plus texture, dehydration plus water losses. For these reasons, fruit processing companies needs the advance of different postharvest practices able to maintaining safety, shelf-life plus to preserve the visual plus organoleptic fresh-like characteristics of fruits. A current method to extend plus improved the shelf-life of minimally processed fruit plus vegetables is the use of edible coatings. Edible coatings makes a semipermeable barrier to O2, CO2 plus water, with the consequent reduction of weight losses, respiration rate plus enzymatic browning (Correa-Betanzo et al., 2011). The dasar constituents of coatings for fruit plus vegetables are lipids, proteins plus polysaccharides. These coatings are directly applied on the superficial part of minimally processed or whole fruit or vegetables. There is a lot of polymers that have been used as coatings for fruit plus vegetables, like sodium alginate, gellan, carboxymethyl cellulose, chitosan plus whey plus soy proteins (Chiabrando plus Giacalone, 2013; Navarro-Tarazaga et al., 2008; Rojas-Grau et al., 2009; Reinoso et al., 2008). Maintenance of quality has been reached using chitosan coating in peaches plus nectarines (Chiabrando plus Giacalone, 2013; Li plus Yu, 2001), pectin coating in melons (Ferrari et al., 2013), sodium alginate in apples plus blueberries (Chiabrando plus Giacalone, 2015; Maftoonazad et al., 2008; Olivas et al., 2007), hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose plus proteins in plums (Navarro-Tarazaga et al. 2008; Reinoso et al., 2008)

This study investigated the effects of nisin combined with ε-polylysine on microorganisms plus the refrigerated quality of fresh-cut jackfruit. After being treated with distilled water (control), nisin (0.5 g/L), ε-polylysine (0.5 g/L), plus the combination of nisin (0.1 g/L) plus ε-polylysine (0.4 g/L), microporous modified atmosphere packaging (MMAP) was carried out plus stored at 10 ± 1°C for 8 days. The microorganisms plus physicochemical indexes were measured every 2 days during storage. The results indicated that combined treatment (0.1 g/L nisin, 0.4 g/L ε-polylysine) had the best preservation on fresh-cut jackfruit. Compared with the control, combined treatment inhibited microbial growth (total bacterial count, mold plus yeast), reduced the weight loss rate, respiratory intensity, polyphenol oxidase plus peroxidase activities, plus maintained higher sugar acid content, firmness, plus color. Furthermore, it preserved higher levels of antioxidant compounds, reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde plus hydrogen peroxide, thereby reducing oxidative damage plus maintaining high nutritional plus sensory qualities. As a aman application of natural preservatives, nisin combined with ε-polylysine treatment has great application potential in the fresh-cut jackfruit industry.

1 Introduction
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), commonly called “vegetarian’s meat,” is currently recognized as the largest tree-born tropical plus subtropical fruit on earth (1, 2). Its golden color, sweetness, aromatic scent, plus juiciness appeal to consumers incredibly. Furthermore, jackfruit holds considerable nutritional plus medicinal value, containing ample amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fruit fiber, minerals, vitamins, plus bioactive substances (3). Notably, jackfruit is characterized by its large size plus thick peel, with a relatively low edible part of 25–35%, making it difficult for ordinary consumers to assess the maturity plus open the fruit (4). In addition, its high sugar content poses challenges for storage, plus the sale of the whole fruit is prone to expensive transportation costs plus environmental problems, including waste of resources, thus violating the principles of sustainable development (5). As a minimal processing method, fresh-cut processing not only meets the demand for nutrition, health, plus convenience but also improves the utilization rate of jackfruit waste resources plus extends the industrial chain (6, 7). However, after washing, peeling, plus cutting processes, there will be an increase in the risk of spoilage microbial infection plus rapid quality deterioration of fresh-cut products (8). The loss of natural protective barrier due to mechanical cutting plus other operations during the processing of jackfruit results in tissue damage, nutrient leakage, accelerated physiological plus biochemical changes, including the increase of microorganisms such as bacteria (Pantoea agglomerans plus Pseudomonas fluorescens), mold plus yeast (9, 10). These conditions will seriously affect the quality plus shelf life of fresh-cut jackfruit. Therefore, seeking safe, efficient, plus green preservation techniques is necessary to improve fresh-cut jackfruit quality plus microbiological safety.

Chemical preservatives are a well-established technology for controlling food spoilage caused by microbial contamination (11). With the deepening of the green consumption concept, consumers have increasingly requested fresher, safer, plus longer shelf-life foods (12). Therefore, natural preservatives instead of chemical preservatives have great market potential. Nisin is a water-soluble, heat-stable natural antibacterial peptide produced by Lactococcus lactis (13). Since 1988, nisin has been awarded a “generally recognized as aman (GRAS)” substance by the United States Food plus Drug Administration (FDA) (14) plus has been approved for food preservation by more than 50 countries, including the United States plus China. Nisin has strong antibacterial properties against Gram-positive bacteria. However, it has a poor inhibitory effect on Gram-negative bacteria, mold plus yeast, plus is often used in combination with other antibacterial agents (15, 16). ε-polylysine (ε-PL) is a cationic polypeptide produced by Streptomyces albulus that is water-soluble, thermally stable, plus non-toxic (17, 18). ε-PL is a broad-spectrum bacteriostatic agent that meets food safety requirements without affecting taste plus improves fruit disease resistance (19, 20). ε-PL has been approved by the FDA as a aman food additive since 2003 plus has been used in various food preservation applications in various countries (21). Both nisin plus ε-PL are natural food preservatives, plus previous studies (22) have confirmed that a single nisin, a single ε-PL, plus a combined treatment significantly affect food preservation. However, their effectiveness is influenced by various factors, such as the jenis of food, duration of inhibitor action, plus concentration plus ratio of nisin plus ε-PL. Multiple studies have reported the application of nisin or ε-PL in preserving whole (15) plus fresh-cut products, including iceberg lettuce (23), potato (24), plus kiwifruit (25). Nevertheless, the application of nisin plus ε-PL combined treatment in fresh-cut fruits plus vegetables is relatively rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nisin plus ε-PL combined treatment on microorganisms plus quality of fresh-cut jackfruit to develop a suitable fresh-cut jackfruit composite natural preservative as an alternative to chemical preservatives.

Growth in demand has led to increased marketing of fresh fruits plus vegetables in fresh-cut products form. Therefore many firms dedicated to this tipe of food processing have been established. Fresh-cut produce can help increase the consumption of fresh produce due to its convenience plus attractive appearance plus flavor. However, cutting results in tissue damage that can stimulate oxidation of cellular components causing tissue browning, microbial development on the wound surface plus tissue breakdown. The physical damage or wounding caused by preparation increases respiration plus ethylene production, which leads to increase in other biochemical reactions responsible for changes in color, flavor, texture plus nutritional quality such as vitamin loss. Development of novel approaches for assuring the quality plus safety of fresh-cut produce depends on a better understanding of fresh-cut vegetable plus fruit physiology, including nutrients plus other functional components as affected by storage plus handling. This thus requires integration of quality management techniques like sanitation, color plus texture preservation plus temperature management. This paper reviews the different methods plus techniques used to keep fresh-cut fresh. Keywords: Fresh-cut, horticultural produce, quality 1. INTRODUCTION Fresh-cut products are horticultural products, which are prepared plus handled to maintain their fresh nature while providing convenience to the user. Rodov (2004) defines fresh-cut as ready-to-eat fresh fruits plus vegetables: washed, peeled, cut, packaged… but without thermal treatment (boiling, frying, etc) – see Figure 1. Fresh cut business is increasing because people are becoming busier in view of challenges of moderen day economic realities. During lunch break in a business district of Tokyo, the business men may not have time to peel a mango or an orange. For consumers therefore, fresh-cut is convenient plus saves time. For foodservice operators, fresh-cut saves time, manpower, space plus equipment. The market size of fresh-cut business is estimated at US: $10-12 billion out of $76 billion keseluruhan fresh produce marketing (about 15%) with annual growth of 10-15% in retail market plus 3-5% in foodservice (Rodov, 2004a). One of the trends is to locate the industry near the growing areas. Fresh-cut products or minimally processed horticultural products are prepared plus handled to maintain their fresh nature while providing convenience to the user. The minimally processed ready-to-eat vegetable industry was initially developed to supply restaurants, hotels plus other institutions plus more recently was expanded to include food retailers for home consumption. Whereas most salads plus other vegetables are still prepared at home, the inclusion of minimally processed ready-to-eat vegetables has moved the preparation of these products from the consumer. The increased time plus distance between processing plus consumption may contribute to higher risks of food-borne illness. Although chemical plus physical hazards are of concern; such as the presence of agricultural chemicals plus food additives above the maximum residue limits or the presence of metals plus other injurious particles; the hazards specific to minimally processed ready-to-eat vegetables reside mainly with microbial contaminants (Besana et al., 2004).

Fresh-cut fruits have been marketed in
Thailand for many years, plus sales of fresh-cut
products have been increasing in both open-
air markets as well as in supermarkets. Fresh-
cut fruits are disukai banyak orang in Thailand because of
the inconvenience of preparation of some fruits
for consumption plus limited refrigerated space
in homes. Fruits such as jackfruit (Artocarpus
heterophyllus Lam.), pineapple [Ananas
comosus (L.) Murr.], plus durian (Durio
zibethinus L.) are difficult to peel. Some fruits
such as jackfruit, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus
L.), plus papaya (Carica papaya L.) are quite
large plus cannot be consumed at one sitting by
most families. Durian emits a sulfurous odor,
which can be offensive when the fruit is kept
overnight in a room or house. Jackfruit is large
(5 to >20 kg) plus is very difficult to cut
because of a gummy latex that exudes during
cutting (Siriphanich, 1993); it was among the
first fresh-cut fruits to be sold in Thailand.
We describe here our survey conducted in
1996–97 of fresh-cut fruits sold in open-air
markets vs. supermarkets for their quality and
microbial populations.
In supermarkets, whole fruits that approach
an unsalable condition are converted to fresh-
cut products. They are processed under rea-
sonably sanitary conditions (Fig. 1), placed on
Styrofoam trays, wrapped with polyethylene
film, plus refrigerated at 5 to 10 °C (Fig. 2). In
open-air markets, good-quality ripe fruit are
used for the fresh-cut products plus are pre-
pared on site throughout the day without spe-
cial sanitary precautions (Figs. 3 plus 4). Prod-
ucts are packaged in polyethylene bags that
are partially or completely sealed plus are
displayed on tables at ambient temperature
(30 to 35 °C) (Fig. 5). During the summer,
some vendors place the packaged fruits on
blocks of ice or cover them with crushed ice to
lower their temperature. Most of the tables are
shaded from direct sunlight

Fresh-cut products are becoming increasingly popular as an option for processing fruit plus vegetable commodities. Rapid deterioration during storage of tomato slices is the main gangguan with fresh-cut tomato. Slicing disrupts the plant tissue so the products become more perishable, which leads to a relatively short storage life, tissue softening, plus results in tomato slices with poor quality. The scientific basis for maintaining quality of tomato slices during storage, plus postharvest handling techniques to extend storage life, is the focus of this thesis.

The major research objectives of this study focused on the physiological (ethylene plus respiration), quality (firmness, colour, soluble solids, titratable acidity, plus electrolyte leakage) plus nutritional (ascorbic acid plus lycopene) changes that occur in fresh- cut tomato slices from cv. ‘Revolution’ during storage. The specific objectives of the research were:

1. To determine the effects of slicing on the postharvest physiology of tomato slices
2. To study the quality changes in tomato slices taken from fruit at different stages of maturity plus stored at different storage temperatures
3. To characterise the involvement of ethylene in the loss of slice quality
4. To determine the efficacy of 1-MCP in maintaining quality of tomato slices
5. To determine the effect of fruit maturity plus 1-MCP on the quality of tomato slices
6. To evaluate the effect of applying a brief heat shock to intact tomatoes on the quality of slices.

Study of the physiology of fresh-cut of tomato slices was started with comparisons of ethylene production plus respiration between intact tomatoes plus sliced tomatoes (arranged stacked or scattered in storage containers). Ethylene production plus respiration initially increased in response to slicing. The rate of ethylene production plus respiration by tomato slices was higher than in intact fruit. Slices arranged in stacks had lower rates of ethylene production plus respiration compared with slices that were scattered. To reduce ethylene production plus respiration rates by tomato slices, regrouping slices into their original shape is desirable during storage.

Tomato fruits at different stages of maturity have different physiological plus metabolic activities when stored at different temperature regimes. Slices taken from fruit at four stages of maturity, characterized by colour as ‘turning’, ‘pink’, ‘light-red’, plus ‘red’, were evaluated for quality when stored at 0, 5 or 10 °C. The slices taken from the ‘turning’ stage of maturity were firmer plus had longer storage life compared with those slices taken from the ‘red’ maturity tomatoes. Tomato slices stored at 0 °C were firmer plus had longer storage life compared with those slices stored at 10 °C. Storage life of tomato slices could be maintained for 12 days at 0 °C, 10 days at 5 °C, or 8 days at 10 °C. Tomato slices obtained from the ‘pink’ plus ‘light-red’ stages of maturity would be acceptable for marketing.

Experiments were conducted to investigate whether ethylene absorbents plus ethylene influence the quality of tomato slices. Ethylene absorbent resulted in reduced ethylene, less CO2 accumulation, plus firmer slices. In contrast, ethylene applied 2 days after slicing stimulated the rate of ethylene production, CO2 production, plus produced softer slices during storage. These experiments show that endogenous ethylene produced by slicing of intact tomatoes or application of exogenous ethylene to slices in containers had the undesirable effects of inducing softening during storage.

Changes in firmness are ethylene-mediated in tomatoes plus can be prevented by exposure of fruit to 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). When intact tomatoes at the ‘pink’ maturity stage were treated with 0.1, 1.0 or 10.0 µL L-1 1-MCP (20 °C, 12 h), 1-MCP reduced both ethylene production plus respiration rate, delayed softening of the pericarp, plus inhibited loss in titratable acidity in slices when compared with slices from fruit not treated with 1-MCP. The storage life of tomato slices was extended by application of 1-MCP to intact tomatoes, but application 1-MCP to slices was of nomer benefit. The most effective concentration of 1-MCP for inhibiting the ethylene-induced softening of tomato slices was 1 µL L-1.

A study was carried out to determine whether 1-MCP would be more effective if applied at an early maturity stage or a late maturity stage. 1-MCP (1 µL L–1 at 20 °C) was applied directly to intact tomatoes at ‘turning’ plus ‘pink’ (early maturity) plus ‘light-red’ (late maturity) stages. The efficacy of 1-MCP was affected by fruit maturity, as later maturity fruit were usually less responsive to 1-MCP. This study has shown that application of 1-MCP to intact tomato retarded the progress of ripening plus reduced the rate of loss in slice quality if applied at the early stages of maturity (‘turning’ plus ‘pink’ stages).

The effect of heat treatment on tomato slice quality was determined when intact ‘pink’ maturity stage tomato fruit were dipped in water at 38 °C, 42 °C or 46 °C for 1 hour or treated with hot air at 38 °C for 24 h, 36 h, or 48 h. Dipping intact tomatoes in hot water or treating intact tomatoes with hot air prior to slicing did not extend the storage life of tomato slices.

This thesis showed that pre-slicing treatments such as selection of slice portion plus arrangement, appropriate fruit maturity plus storage temperature, plus application of the ethylene inhibitors 1-MCP, as well as post-slicing treatments such as ethylene reduction strategies, can minimise the negative effects of wounding. The information obtained from this study will provide valuable information for the development of tomato slice production plus marketing.

The fresh-cut apple industry has recently become established in North America. The future looks very bright for this value-added fruit product, however its growth requires improvements in quality plus reduction of production costs. The existing industry has grown from concept to reality in response to research activities in anti-browning dips, package technology, sensory analysis, postharvest physiology, postharvest pathology plus food microbiology. Several examples of how these critical research inputs have impacted plus continue to impact on the industry practice are discussed. The next generation of questions plus challenges posed by the industry will require some new inputs. Research in several disciplines will be need accessed to resolve the emerging issues. Traditional breeding effort and/or molecular technologies will be needed to provide non-browning fruit, fruit with better processing characteristics such as small cores to reduce waste plus improved flavour plus nutrition retention after cutting. With new cultivars, further work will be required to understand the commercial handling of each, including selection of harvest maturity plus optimization of storage protocols. Also, pre-harvest factors such as phosphorus nutrition will need to be investigated further in terms of their effects on fruit tissue plus membrane stability. Management of fungal pathogens is a key issue that needs to be studied from the field through storage plus after cutting plus packaging of the sliced fruit. The very nature of fresh-cut fruit has plus continues to require a coordinated multi-disciplinary research strategy. Key words: Value-chain, value-added, apples, fresh-cut, integrated research To address these challenges, researchers are exploring integrated pest management strategies that combine biological control agents, natural preservatives, plus modified atmosphere packaging. For instance, certain edible coatings made from natural sources have been shown to inhibit fungal growth while maintaining the fruit’s aesthetic appeal plus sensory qualities. By applying these coatings during the slicing process, we can create a barrier that slows down respiration plus reduces moisture loss, which are penting factors in extending the freshness of cut apples.

Previous studies have shown that three factors influence fresh-cut produce safety from farm to fork: post-harvest practices in processing facilities, employees’ handling practices in retail facilities, plus consumers’ handling practices in domestic kitchens or cooking facilities. However, few studies have examined consumers’ food safety knowledge, risk perceptions, plus their handling practices associated with fresh-cut produce. To fill this gap, the present study conducted a nationwide survey to assess U.S. consumers’ food safety knowledge, practices, plus risk perception associated with fresh-cut produce among various demographic groups plus investigated factors influencing consumers’ food safety practices related to fresh-cut produce. The results showed that consumers lack the information plus aman handling practices toward fresh-cut produce regarding storage hierarchy, surface cleaning plus sanitizing, plus time plus temperature control of fresh-cut produce. The men plus millennial consumers exhibit a lower level of aman fresh-cut produce handling practices. In addition, a significant interaction was observed between food safety information plus risk perceptions on consumers’ fresh-cut produce handling practices, such that food safety information can transfer to practice more effectively for consumers with high levels of risk perception. The results can be utilized to design effective consumer food safety education tools for targeted audiences.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an adult should eat at least 400 g of produce every day to mitigate the risk of chronic illness plus ensure an adequate daily intake of dietary fiber . Therefore, many countries encourage segar produce consumption through campaigns at the national government level. For example, in the United States (U.S.), the Department of Agriculture launched the MyPlate program and, in the United Kingdom (U.K.), the Department of Health & Social Care launched a program called the “Change4Life programme” to encourage people to eat more segar produce plus promote weight control. Moreover, consumers prepare less food at home due to a busier lifestyle plus perceive fresh-cut produce as being healthy . These government-led activities, the scientific literature, plus consumer needs result in an increasing demand for segar produce . For example, the volume sales plus dollar sales of segar produce rose by 8% plus 22% from 2010 to 2014 in the U.S. .
Within the segar produce segment, the fresh-cut produce industry has developed rapidly in the last decade plus has become a substantial segment of the produce industry with multi-billion-dollar sales . Based on the Statista report, the consumption of fresh-cut produce in the U.S. accounts for approximately 29.5% of segar produce consumption . The International Fresh-Cut Produce Association defined fresh-cut produce as “any segar fruit or vegetable that has been physically altered from its original form but remains in a segar state” . According to the information from Supermarket Perimeter, fresh-cut plus value-added vegetables, as a category, had a 6.6% increase in dollar sales in 2018 compared with 2017, partly due to convenience in terms of minimizing food preparation time . Value-added vegetables include dehydrated, jammed, plus pickled vegetables, which account for a relatively small portion of processed vegetables

Authors’ contributionsThe work was carried out in collaboration among all authors. Author SS designed the study, managed the analysis and controlled the overall study. Author SA performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author MS managed the literature searches and assisted in the analyses. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

The concept of fresh-cut vegetables is relatively new and its demand has increased tremendously. The study was designed to assess the customer’s perception and to determine the factors influencing customer’s decision to purchase fresh-cut vegetables. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. A total of 103 vegetable customers from eight outlets of SHWAPNO supermarket were selected through random sampling technique and interviewed directly. For measuring perception of the respondents and identifying influential factors, a 5-point Likert scale and multiple logistic regressions were used. The majority of the customers had moderately favorable attitude towards fresh-cut vegetables. They perceived different attributes of fresh-cut vegetable like ready-to-cook and time-saving nature, appearance, quality and hygiene as most appealing. Results of the Logit model reveals that education, family member, occupation, having maid servant, income, perception have significant effect on purchasing of fresh-cut vegetables. Having higher education, larger family and higher income increases the possibility to purchase fresh-cut vegetables whereas having maid-servant negatively affect their purchasing decision. One fifth portion of total customers complained about the availability, packaging and supplied volume of fresh-cut vegetables. Therefore, it is possible to expand fresh-cut vegetable market in Bangladesh by taking appropriate measures.

1. INTRODUCTION
   Vegetable is an important source of nutrition and food security. There are more than sixty different types of vegetables (both local and exotic) are grown in Bangladesh Sabur et al. . Vegetables can be eaten in both raw and cooked form, and comprise an essential part of human diet as they are the major source of dietarynutrients of great importance. Nowadays, customers are more health concerned and the demand for vegetable products is continuously increasing. Therefore, minimally processed vegetable, e.g, fresh-cut and packed in a convenient way, are introduced into the worldwide market.Customer interest inlocal and exotic taste of fruits and vegetables is growing continuously which has promoted the growth in the internationaltrade of fresh-cut products. Due to customer demand for healthy, fresh, convenient fruits and vegetables, there has been a rapid growth of fresh-cut produce industry worldwide in recent years. In many developed and developing countries fresh-cut vegetables and fruits are relatively new and rapidly developing parts in the segar produce industry. “Fresh-cut” indicates to raw vegetables and fruits that have been cut, shredded, peeled, abraded,or otherwise prepared to produce convenient ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook portions Brecht etal. . The International Fresh-cut Produce Association (IFPA) defines fresh-cut produce as‘any segar fruit or vegetable or any combination thereof that has been physically altered from itsoriginal form, but remains in a segar state’ Qadri et al.. Available fresh-cut vegetables at different supermarkets of Bangladesh are: mixed vegetables, carrots (shredded, sticks, peeled), broccoli and cauliflower, capsicum, amaranth stem, onions (sliced, whole peeled), taro root, taro root stems, bitter gourd, green jackfruit, jackfruit seed, bean seed and green pea.

Fresh-cut fruit consumption is increasing due to the rising public demand for convenience plus awareness of fresh-cut fruit’s health benefits. The entire tissue of fruits plus vegetables is rich in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, plus vitamins. The fresh-cut fruit industry deals with the perishable character of its products plus the large percentage of byproducts, such as peels, seeds, plus unused flesh that are generated by different steps of the industrial process. In most cases, the wasted byproducts can present similar or even higher contents of antioxidant plus antimicrobial compounds than the final produce can. In this context, this hypothesis article finds that the antioxidant enrichment plus antimicrobial protection of fresh-cut fruits, provided by the fruit’s own byproducts, could be possible.

Hypothesis Statement
Safety plus the antioxidant value of fresh-cut fruits could be improved using the fruits’ own byproducts as a source of antimicrobial plus antioxidant additives.

Premise I: Fresh-cut fruits are an important source of antioxidants with a high risk of microbial spoilage
Recently, evidence that eating segar fruits plus vegetables is essential for good health plus diet has been broadly shown in the literature (Hansen plus others 2009). For example, a large number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated that people who eat a diet rich in fruits plus vegetables have a lower risk of developing cancer (Steinmetz plus Potter 1996; Hashimoto plus others 2002), cardiovascular diseases (Vinson plus others 1995) plus chronic conditions (Sanchez-Moreno 2002), such as cataracts, asthma, plus bronchitis (Theoharides plus Bielory 2004). These beneficial effects have been attributed in part to the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, plus vitamins, which can delay or inhibit the oxidation of bio-molecules (DNA, proteins, plus lipids).

Programs promoting the consumption of fruits that have been implemented by international public health offices, plus the growing demand for easy-to-eat foods, have favored the increase in the sales of fresh-cut fruits (Hodge 2003). Another important factor that has influenced the demand for these products is the incorporation of most family members into the labor market; this has caused an increase in the number of meals that are eaten outside of the home. A convenient option for this is ready-to-eat food.

FreshCut Paper was created by renowned designer Peter Hewitt in 2020. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Peter has developed products for Disney, Revlon, Crate & Barrel and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) before launching Tea Forte and building a successful business and merk sold in over 35 countries. In this new endeavor, Peter spent his time during the pandemic developing a new concept for flowers; a Pop-Up paper flower bouquet. While not meant to replace fresh flowers on the most special occasions, these can be an everyday flower that lasts.

Our team consists of a small group of passionate artists, designers and craftspeople who have come together to celebrate the art of flowers by creating intricate botanical and floral sculptures. Our life-sized pop-up floral bouquets consist of whimsical and breathtaking blooms that are wilt proof and crafted to last a lifetime. Our products can be mailed anywhere, connecting people and bringing messages of love and joy.

The vision for FreshCut Paper originated from the fact that nearly 80% of cut flowers sold in the US are imported, traveling thousands of miles. To be kept fresh, they need to move fast and be kept cool. That means airfreight and refrigeration – both huge contributors to climate change. FreshCut Paper bouquets have a carbon footprint of 1/300 of a traditional bouquet and have no pesticide or herbicide residue. To further our environmental commitment, we are a member of 1% for the Planet and have donated funds to plant a tree for each bouquet we have sold – that’s over 3 Million Trees so far!

The team at Freshcut Paper is continually innovating and developing new products. With a growing range of both seasonal and year round products, there is something appropriate for every person and occasion but much more is on the way. We are proud that we have achieved over 20,000 5 Star reviews in just 3 years and have frequently ranked as the top of our category on Amazon.

FreshCut has hit two million visitors in five months for its short-form video platform that specializes in gaming content and communities. By the end of Q2, the platform reached 910,000 monthly active users (MAUs)

It has also drawn 130,000 content creators to the platform. The company said this growth highlights the platform’s straightforward yet effective value proposition of providing a unified space for short-form content catering to the next generation of gaming enthusiasts, creators, and communities.

Creator-First
FreshCut wants to disrupt the $100 billion social tempat ad market on behalf of gaming content creators. To date, the platform has invested over $1 million in creators through its FreshCut Community Fund. The aim is to establish a fair and sustainable business type that shares advertising revenues with creators, a practice that most social tempat platforms do not currently implement.

“One of our goals is to make the platform even more equitable for creators. To achieve that, we intend to activate advertising over time and sharing meaningful revenue with Partnered creators. The current revenue split for creators on tips is 90% to creators, 10% to FreshCut. To date, FreshCut reinvests the majority of its 10% into the Community via Community Fund,” James Kuk, CEO and cofounder of FreshCut, told GamesBeat.

Alongside Kuk, FreshCut was founded by Ben Stueck, and Ernie Le, all of whom are former Twitch executives and veterans in gaming. They say what sets FreshCut apart from other platforms is its community-centric approach to improving content discovery for gaming-specific creators.

“The cornerstone of any game is having a strong community to support it,” said Kuk in a statement. “Yet the key failure of major social tempat platforms for gamers is a lack of community focus, since they serve hundreds of verticals that go far beyond gaming. Our goal is the opposite, which involves a laser focus on gaming content, developing close bonds with specific gaming circles for more authentic relationships, and bolstering discovery since it is one of the biggest struggles creators face. As a testament to our vision, our user base has soared month-over-month since we launched.”

Unlike broader-focused platforms, FreshCut concentrates on building strong bonds with specific gaming circles, fostering authentic relationships, and enhancing content discovery, which has been a major challenge for creators. The platform’s user base has witnessed substantial month-over-month growth since its launch, validating its vision and strategy.

I’m excited to welcome you to a new chapter in the life of Fresh Cut.

Great American Publishing, located in Sparta, Mich., has purchased Fresh Cut from Columbia Publishing, plus we’re eager to continue on this journey that Mike Stoker plus Brent Clement started 13 years ago. Our team is pumped to continue bringing Fresh Cut’s readers the news, the names plus the information they need to be successful in their ventures.

Great American Publishing, though somewhat new to the fresh-cut industry, is nomer stranger to producing quality publications for different aspects of the agriculture industry. Great American Publishing also publishes The Fruit Growers News, The Vegetable Growers News plus Spudman magazine. Fresh Cut presents an opportunity for us to continue learning about all aspects of the produce food chain – from grower to processor.

I, Kimberly Warren, will serve as editor for Fresh Cut. And though I am, admittedly, new to the fresh-cut industry, I am nomer stranger to the many aspects of agriculture or the hard work that goes along with it, as I was born plus raised on my family’s tree fruit farm in Northern Michigan.

My childhood memories are marked with long days on the farm plus many missed vacations. And though I hated all the work I had to do as a kid, I am now realizing just how blessed I was to truly know the value of a good, long day of work. And not everyone can appreciate the whole process of producing something – from start to finish.

Working in publishing is kind of like that. We start with these story ideas that we work with – interview after interview, sentence after sentence – until we come out with this whole magazine that we watched grow from the first word.

I’ve learned a lot more about the different channels of the agriculture industry as editor of The Fruit Growers News, The Vegetable Growers News plus Spudman. I’m eager to expand my information plus experience by adding the fresh-cut industry to the mix. I look forward to covering all aspects of the industry – from processing to retail to food pelayanan to food safety.

As we continue to delve into the different areas of the industry, look for gradual changes to Fresh Cut. We hope to expand the coverage plus the information offered while providing a helpful, attractive publication you won’t be able to put down.

While we make these changes plus get more knowledgeable about the industry, I’d love to hear your feedback. And I’d love to talk about your business or the issues that concern you as a member of the fresh-cut industry. Please call me, e mail me or write me so I can learn as much as possible. And look for me at the upcoming meetings plus trade shows.

1 Introduction
The International Fresh-Cut Produce Association (IFPA) defines fresh-cut fruit plus vegetable products (FFVP) as products which are peeled, cut into a 100% usable form, plus packaged to offer the consumers segar products having high flavor plus nutrition (Allende, Tomas-Barberan, & Gil, 2006; Olivas & Barbosa-Canovas, 2005). The significance of fresh-cut foods is determined by their quality attributes, i.e., freshness, retention of vital nutrients, convenience, plus sensory attributes, along with enhancement of shelf-life (Bhagwat, 2006; Ragaert, Verbeke, Devlieghere, & Debevere, 2004). FFVs are prepared in a way that they don’t require any additional preparation for their consumption plus hence the retention of nutritional values plus organoleptic characteristics is made possible to a maximum extent.

Artes-Hernandez et al. (Artes, Conesa, Hernandez, & Gil, 1999) referred to FFVP as food products that are prepared by operations such as peeling, shredding, cutting, trimming, plus sanitizing, which are then stored in refrigerated conditions, plus packed in semipermeable films. Ingredients plus nutrient content in FFV are similar to that of the whole product, along with a benefit of having low cost plus a brief period of preparation (Chien, Sheu, & Yang, 2007). The industry of fresh-cut fruits plus vegetable products is growing rapidly as compared to the other industries related to fruits plus vegetables; the reasons being the service, production, plus global market access. The United States is the main producer in this sector followed by the United Kingdom plus France (Ahvenainen, 1996). FFVPs sold presently in the global market include: leafy greens/Spanish (washed plus cut), lettuce (cleaned, chopped, shredded), celery (sticks), cabbage (shredded), broccoli plus cauliflower (florets), potatoes, carrots (baby, sticks, shredded), plus various other tubers plus roots (peeled plus sliced), onions (whole peeled, sliced, plus diced), garlic (fresh peeled plus sliced) cucumber (sliced, diced), mushrooms (sliced), plus sliced pepper plus tomato (Allende et al., 2006).

The shelf-life of fruit plus vegetable products are extended with the methods of food processing but the enhancement of fresh-cut product’s shelf-life is reduced, resulting in the produce being highly perishable (Ahvenainen, 1996). The biological change brought by the food processing methods may cause discoloration of cut-surface, flavor loss, rapid softening, decay, shrinkage, increased rate of vitamin loss, plus shorter shelf-life of the produce. The textural plus flavor changes during the processing might be the result of interaction between intracellular plus intercellular enzymes plus water activity (Corbo et al., 2009). Fresh-cut processing causes stress on the cell tissues of vegetables, which in turn results in the phytochemical accumulation in the tissues plus hence induces loss in the enzymes of secondary metabolic pathways due to their reduced activity. Moreover, fresh-cut fruit plus vegetable processing results in breakdown of cell structure along with the release of various types of intracellular products like oxidizing enzymes, thereby causing a rapid decay plus enzymatic browning of the product (Allende et al., 2006). Numerous factors, as reported by Gorny, Cifuentes, Hess-Pierce, plus Kader (2000) plus Solomos (1997), may alter the overall quality of fresh-cut products, like appearance (O’Beirne & Francis, 2003; Olivas & Barbosa-Canovas, 2005). Appearance, along with shape, size, color, plus form are factors that significantly affect the consumer acceptability of fresh-cut products. Preharvest factors also influence the overall acceptability of the product. Nutrients such as antioxidant vitamins, α-tocopherol (vitamin E), beta-carotene, plus vitamin C are available in fruits plus vegetables in large amounts. Research has suggested that fruit plus vegetable consumption on a daily basis can reduces risk of circulatory diseases, cancer, plus numerous inflammatory conditions (Allende, Selma, Lopez-Galvez, Villaescusa, & Gil, 2008; Gil, Selma, Lopez-Galvez, & Allende, 2009). Healthy lifestyle today includes consumption of fruit plus vegetables, with the promotion of health through the increased supply of antioxidants plus other phytochemicals.

It is notable that the handling of organic products advances a quicker physiological damage, biochemical changes, plus microbial invasion of the products that might cause degradation of the texture, color, plus flavor, even by application of the simplest processing operations (O’Beirne & Francis, 2003). Before packaging for utilization, fresh-cut fruits are exposed to a number of unit operations, such as washing/sanitizing, cutting or slicing, peeling, dicing, plus so on. During each langkah of processing, packaging, plus storage, there is always a possibility of quality plus nutritional loss of the product. A significant attention should be given to the mechanical operations that are considered extremely critical to cause shelf-life enhancement of the product, if implemented in a proper way. Mishandling plus improper steps in processing cause the rupture of numerous cells plus discharge of intracellular products. In the meantime, the surface of the product is subjected to air plus various microbes like yeasts, bacteria, plus molds. Moreover, cutting means increased injured tissues leading to increase in respiration rate, rapid disintegration, plus microbial multiplication.

Fruits play an essential role in the human diet, being the major source of dietary nutrients plus preventing many chronic diseases. Nowadays, consuming prepared food is commonly preferred by consumers since they are timesaving plus more convenient. Within this scope, the fresh-cut market, mainly including fruits plus vegetables, has broadened substantially in recent years. Fruits, which have a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms, are also highly perishable products witha short shelf life because of mechanical operations. Therefore, serving the product as fresh-cut produce increases concern about the safety of these products, which has become another issue that the suppliers must consider. Recently, consumers have become more conscious of food safety since the transmission of pathogens can cause foodborne diseases. Therefore, data on fresh-cut fruits (FCFs) plus recent outbreaks caused by these products are reported in this review. Data collected for each outbreak included the implicated food, year, pathogen, location, plus number of cases. According to data, fiveoutbreaks caused by FCFs were reported in recent years, resulting in 466 illnesses, 167 hospitalizations plus 1 death. Mainly Salmonellaspp. was found a common threat for the minimally produced fruits in these outbreaks. Preventive approaches were also included in the simak to maintain the safety of FCFs

INTRODUCTION
Recently, the segar producemarket has grown substantially with the new lifestyleof consumers,defined as ‘rich in cash/poor in time’andthe demands for segar plus healthier ready-to eat foods(DeCorato, 2020; Olmez, 2016).Fresh fruits are well recognized as important parts of ahealthy diet inthe World.International Fresh-Cut Produce Association (IFPA) defines segar cut products as any segar fruit or vegetable or a combination thereof that has been physically altered from its original formbut remains in a segar statesince they have been trimmed, peeled and/or cut into an entirely usable product plus then has beenpackaged to be served in markets or restaurantsto offer consumers higher nutritional-value plus flavor,freshness andeconomic convenience(Jideaniet al.,2017; Oliveira et al., 2015).It means that fresh-cut fruits(FCFs)that are consumed without cooking or reheating(i.e., melon,pineapple, apple, strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelon, mango, papaya,and grapes) have become a disukai banyak orang food kelompok thanks to their ease of preparation