Abstract
Fresh-cut melon, as a ready-to-eat product, offers a more convenient consumption compared to the whole fruit while representing a good source of carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and phenolics. Nonetheless, fresh-cut melons are very perishable and have a short shelf-life due to deterioration processes induced by cutting. Successful strategies for maintaining quality throughout shelf-life include selecting high-quality fruits at the appropriate ripeness stage and employing modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with high O2 levels. This work aimed to study the effects of maturity at harvest, non-destructively assessed by time resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), and of MAP (40% O2 + 10% CO2) on the quality attributes, nutraceutical properties, fermentative metabolites, and electrolyte leakage (EL) of fresh cut ‘Honey Moon’ melons. At harvest, 50 melons were measured by TRS, retrieving the absorption coefficient at 540 nm (μa540), then ranked by μa540 values and randomized in 5 groups corresponding to 5 times of shelf-life. Within each group, fruit ranked 1-3 (less mature – LeM) and 8-10 (more mature – MoM) were processed. Each melon was halved, with one half packed in air and the other in MAP, after being cut into 4 slices. Samples were analyzed after 1, 4, 7, 11, and 13 days of shelf-life at 4°C. The packaging atmosphere did not affect ascorbic acid (AsA) and soluble solids (SSC) content, EL, firmness and juiciness. Carotenoids were higher in air than in MAP while the opposite was found for ethanol and ethyl acetate, while no significant changes were observed for acetaldehyde. AsA and SSC were higher in MoM melons, while juiciness and h° pulp were lower. CO2 increased in air package, showing higher levels in MoM melons. EL increased up to 7 days in LeM melons and throughout shelf-life in MoM ones. Carotenoids slightly increased in LeM fresh-cut melons, while AsA decreased along shelf-life regardless of TRS maturity class and atmosphere.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Packaging atmosphere did not affect ascorbic acid, soluble solids, electrolyte leakage, firmness, or juiciness.
- Taxon
- melons
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Treatment
- packaging atmospheree0
- Outcome
- ascorbic acid (AsA) and soluble solids (SSC) content, EL, firmness and juicinesse0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“The packaging atmosphere did not affect ascorbic acid (AsA) and soluble solids (SSC) content, EL, firmness and juiciness.”
Claim · model-written summary
Carotenoids were higher in air than in modified atmosphere packaging.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“Carotenoids were higher in air than in MAP”
Claim · model-written summary
Ethanol and ethyl acetate were higher in modified atmosphere packaging than in air.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- MAPe0
- Outcome
- ethanol and ethyl acetatee0
- Direction
- higherinferrede0
- Comparator
- aire0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“Carotenoids were higher in air than in MAP while the opposite was found for ethanol and ethyl acetate”
Claim · model-written summary
Acetaldehyde showed no significant change between packaging atmospheres.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- acetaldehydee0
- Direction
- no significant changese0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“no significant changes were observed for acetaldehyde”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid and soluble solids were higher in more mature melons.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Material
- MoM melonse0
- Outcome
- AsA and SSCe0
- Direction
- highere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“AsA and SSC were higher in MoM melons”
Claim · model-written summary
Juiciness and pulp hue were lower in more mature melons.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- juiciness and h° pulpe0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedMaterial
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“juiciness and h° pulp were lower”
Claim · model-written summary
Carbon dioxide increased in air packages.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- CO2e0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Setting
- air packagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“CO2 increased in air package”
Claim · model-written summary
Carbon dioxide levels in air packages were higher for more mature melons.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“CO2 increased in air package, showing higher levels in MoM melons”
Claim · model-written summary
Electrolyte leakage increased up to day 7 in less mature melons.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“EL increased up to 7 days in LeM melons”
Claim · model-written summary
Electrolyte leakage increased throughout shelf life in more mature melons.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Material
- MoMe0
- Outcome
- ELe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- throughout shelf-lifee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“EL increased up to 7 days in LeM melons and throughout shelf-life in MoM ones”
Claim · model-written summary
Carotenoids increased slightly in less mature fresh-cut melons.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis meloe0
- Material
- LeMe0
- Outcome
- Carotenoidse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Carotenoids slightly increased in LeM fresh-cut melons”
Claim · model-written summary
Ascorbic acid decreased over shelf life regardless of maturity class or atmosphere.
- Taxon
- melonsCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- AsAe0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Qualifier
- regardless of TRS maturity class and atmospheree0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“melons”
e0“AsA decreased along shelf-life regardless of TRS maturity class and atmosphere”
The same questions in other papers
storage · molecular: metabolites · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →storage · physiology: oxidative · Cucumis melo (muskmelon)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
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.