Effect of Different Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Quality of Mulberry Fruit (Morus alba L. cv Kokuso 21).

The control of temperature and gas composition is essential to maintain the fresh flavor and quality of perishable fruits like mulberry. This study presented a modified atmosphere experiment (MAP) for fresh fruit showing the potential benefits of innovative gas mixing with argon. The effects of MAP were studied on the physicochemical and qualitative attributes of mulberry preserved at 4 ± 1°C and 90 ± 5% R.H. Fresh mulberries were packaged with different gas combinations: MAP1 (4%O2+6%CO2+90%N2), MAP2 (10%O2+5%CO2+85%Ar), CTR1 (20.9%O2+0.04%CO2), and CTR2 (10%O2+5%CO2+85%N2). Changes in quality parameters were evaluated after 0, 4, 8, and 12 days of storage. Mulberries packaged with MAP had a lower weight loss than CTR samples which lost more than 80% of their initial weight. Furthermore, the results showed that the argon treatment was the best in keeping the fruit juice content, preserving its structure. Despite not showing great differences with MAP1 treatment, Ar allowed to maintain high TSS up to 8 storage days, slowed CO2 production. The sensory profile of mulberry fruit was not significantly affected by storage in modified atmospheres, and the production of potential unpleasant odors in MAP2 could not be perceived. The results of this study confirm that this innovative approach, using MAP technology, has a potential use in maintaining mulberry fruit quality for a longer time.

Effect of addition of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage on the biological leavening, physical, nutritional, antioxidant and sensory aspects of bread.

The addition of active compounds to enhance the functional properties of foods is a quite common practice. Recently, bread became one of the target foods to incorporate functional ingredients such as those deriving from Opuntia spp. So far, only Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes in powder has been tested. The addition of fresh O. ficus-indica mucilage (in substitution to water) did not influence the biological leavening of the doughs. The resulting breads showed a biological role of the cactus mucilage, because their antioxidant activity was higher than that of control wheat bread. The sensory analysis indicated a general appreciation of the breads enriched with O. ficus-indica mucilage by the judges. The inclusion of fresh cactus mucilage in bread production might increase the dietary antioxidant intake due to its daily worldwide consumption.