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.