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BACKGROUND: Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is a South American berry with a sweet flavor and is rich in bioactive compounds and antioxidants. However, its high water and sugar content, susceptibility to spoilage, and bruising limit its shelf life. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the physical and chemical changes of pitanga during storage and to identify the optimal harvest time and storage conditions. METHODS: Pitangas were harvested at mid or full-ripeness stages, stored at 2°C, 10°C, or 20°C, and analyzed for physical and chemical quality attributes using a kinetic approach. RESULTS: The storage temperature of pitanga significantly affected the kinetics of various quality attributes, including weight loss, percentage of damaged and decayed fruit, fruit hardness, total soluble solid content, and color change. However, the ripening stage during harvest only influenced the initial values of a few quality attributes. The bioactive compound content and antioxidant capacity of pitanga were not significantly affected by either storage temperature or ripening stage, except for vitamin C. CONCLUSIONS: Pitanga can be preserved at 2°C for 20 days, resulting in a four-fold increase in shelf life compared to current postharvest practices. This finding offers valuable insights into optimizing the postharvest technology of pitanga, thereby increasing its utilization and promoting sustainable production practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fogging of strawberries using a environmentally friendly sanitizer mixture of peracetic acid (5%) and hydrogen peroxide (20%) was performed in a model chamber and modeled as a function of the concentration (3.4, 20.0, 60.0, 100.0 and 116.6 µL sanitizer L−1 air chamber) and the treatment time (5.7, 15.0, 37.5, 60.0 and 69.3 min). The sanitizer fogging was adequate for reducing total mesophilic microbial and yeasts and moulds counts of fruits until seven days of storage at 2℃. However, sanitizer oxidant properties adversely affected the content of total anthocyanins, total phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity to various degrees, with some deleterious changes in the fruits color, depending on the fogging conditions. A multiple numeric response optimization was developed based on 2.0 log microbiological reduction, maximum phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity retentions, with no changes in the fruits color, being the optimal fogging conditions achieved: 10.1 µL sanitizer L−1 air chamber and 29.6 min. The fogging of strawberries at these conditions may represent a promising postharvest treatment option for extending their shelf-life without affecting their sensory quality and bioactive properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive compounds and quality attributes of fresh-cut strawberries exposed to controlled atmospheres with high oxygen (70–90 kPa) and carbon dioxide (0–20 kPa) compared to storage in air and in low oxygen plus carbon dioxide (5 kPa O 2 - 5 kPa CO 2) atmosphere were studied using a kinetic approach. Microbial growth was best controlled in samples stored in high O 2 (70–80 kPa) and high CO 2 (20 kPa). Physicochemical parameters (pH, total soluble solids, and firmness) were affected by the different atmospheres, but changes occurred faster in samples stored in air. Retention of vitamin C was at least 65% in the studied atmospheres and its evolution was modeled using a first-order reaction. The contents of the main anthocyanins found in strawberries, pelargonidin-3- O -glucoside, cyanidin-3- O -glucoside, and pelargonidin-3- O -rutinoside, showed transient increases up to 40–50% over storage time in some atmospheres, especially in 70 kPa O 2 - 20 kPa CO 2 , and anthocyanin evolutions were modeled using a consecutive reaction mechanistic kinetic model. The antioxidant capacity retained by samples stored in all the atmospheres remained above 80% after storage at 5 °C. The storage of fresh-cut strawberries in high O 2 and high CO 2 atmospheres, especially in 70 kPa O 2 - 20 kPa CO 2 , may extend product shelf-life for at least 20 d with adequate control of microbiological decay, maintaining fruit quality and enhancing anthocyanin content. [Display omitted] • Fresh-cut strawberries in high O 2 and CO 2 maintained quality for up to 20 d at 5 °C. • High O 2 and high CO 2 controlled atmospheres retarded microbial growth. • Transient increases in anthocyanins of fruit stored in 70 O 2 -20 CO 2 kPa were found. • 70 O 2 -20 CO 2 kPa is recommended to storage fresh-cut strawberries at 5 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]