Abstract
In response to growing consumer demand for healthy, convenient, and sustainable food options, innovative postharvest treatments for minimally processed fruit and vegetables have gained increasing attention. This study evaluates the combined effects of microwave (MW) heating and organic acid-based anti-browning dipping as sustainable alternatives to chlorine-based sanitising methods for preserving the sensory, physicochemical, and microbiological quality of fresh-cut apples. Apple wedges (Pink Lady®) were subjected to different treatments, including dipping in an anti-browning solution (1 % citric acid + 1 % ascorbic acid w/v, named Dipping) and MW heating (420 W for 48 s, named MW), alone or in combination, packaged in either polypropylene (PP) or polylactic acid (PLA) films. Results highlight that the integrated approach, particularly the PLA+Dipping+MW and PP+Dipping+MW treatments combining both heating and anti-browning solution, effectively reduced microbial load while maintaining visual and sensory quality throughout storage. PLA+Dipping+MW emerged as the most sustainable option, balancing microbial control with environmentally-friendly PLA properties, whereas PP+Dipping+MW provided the highest level of microbial suppression. Notably, results from artificially inoculated apple slices revealed that MW treatment alone was insufficient to significantly reduce Leuconostoc mesenteroides load, while its combination with dipping in anti-browning solution achieved a synergistic effect, significantly lowering microbial counts compared to individually applied treatments. These findings underscore the potential of designing MW-based hurdle technologies to improve safety, quality, and sustainability in fresh-cut fruit processing. Further optimisation could enhance commercial viability and support the adoption of chemical-free preservation strategies in the fresh produce industry. • Microwave, dipping, and packaging: the single treatments have been compared to integrate solutions • Integrate solutions reduce microbial load and preserve apple sensory quality • Polypropylene bags + dipping + microwave provided the highest microbial suppression • Polylactic acid + microwave + dipping guarantees safety, quality, and sustainability • Microwave-based methods support safer, greener options for fresh fruit preservation
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
PLA, dipping, and microwave heating reduced microbial load while maintaining apple quality.
- Taxon
- apples
Malus domesticat0 - Treatment
- PLA+Dipping+MWe0
- Outcome
- microbial loade0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PLA+Dipping+MW and PP+Dipping+MW treatments combining both heating and anti-browning solution, effectively reduced microbial load while maintaining visual and sensory quality throughout storage.”
t0“apples”
Claim · model-written summary
PP, dipping, and microwave heating reduced microbial load while maintaining apple quality.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- PP+Dipping+MWe0
- Outcome
- microbial loade0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PLA+Dipping+MW and PP+Dipping+MW treatments combining both heating and anti-browning solution, effectively reduced microbial load while maintaining visual and sensory quality throughout storage.”
t0“apples”
Claim · model-written summary
PLA, dipping, and microwave heating was the most sustainable combination.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- PLA+Dipping+MWe0
- Outcome
- most sustainable optione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PLA+Dipping+MW emerged as the most sustainable option, balancing microbial control with environmentally-friendly PLA properties”
t0“apples”
Claim · model-written summary
PP, dipping, and microwave heating gave the highest microbial suppression.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- PP+Dipping+MWe0
- Outcome
- microbial suppressione0
- Direction
- higheste0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PP+Dipping+MW provided the highest level of microbial suppression.”
t0“apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Microwave treatment alone did not significantly reduce L. mesenteroides load on inoculated apple slices.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- MW treatment alonee0
- Interactor
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides
Leuconostoc mesenteroidese0other - Outcome
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides loade0
- Direction
- insufficient to significantly reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“MW treatment alone was insufficient to significantly reduce Leuconostoc mesenteroides load”
t0“apples”
Claim · model-written summary
Microwave plus anti-browning dipping significantly reduced L. mesenteroides counts relative to individual treatments.
- Taxon
- applesMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- dipping in anti-browning solutione0
- Outcome
- microbial countse0
- Direction
- loweringe0
- Comparator
- individually applied treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“its combination with dipping in anti-browning solution achieved a synergistic effect, significantly lowering microbial counts compared to individually applied treatments.”
t0“apples”
The same questions in other papers
processing · control · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- no effect
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application · control · Malus domestica (apple)Positive and negative results
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See all 29 papers →application · soil: biology · Malus domestica (apple)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.