1. Fresh-cut pineapple (Ananas sp.) flavor. Effect of storage
- Author
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J. Lasater, J.A. Miller, Mónica Flores, C. James, Steven W. Lloyd, and Arthur M. Spanier
- Subjects
Pineapple Flavor ,biology ,Chemistry ,food and beverages ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease_cause ,Yeast ,Mold ,medicine ,Fermentation ,Gas chromatography ,Food science ,Ananas ,Flavor - Abstract
Fresh-cut fruits are the fastest growing market in today's produce business. However, once a fruit is cut it becomes a different product from what it was in its uncut form. Thus, produce marketers must ensure their product's flavor and texture as well as the product's safety. We examined the effect of storage (4°C for 3, 7, and 10 days) on the flavor volatile profile of freshly-cut pineapples. Volatiles of fresh-cut and stored pineapple chunks were examined by gas chromatography (GC), GC olfactometry (GC-O), GC mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), and microbiological testing. GC-O data using dynamic headspace sampling techniques indicated that pineapple-like flavors increased very slightly during storage while unpleasant odors and volatiles such as fermented, cheesy, sour dough, alcohol, oily, etc., showed dramatic increases and masked the more desirable pineapple flavor. The large increases in the level of low boiling alcohols (as determined by GC and GC-MS) in stored pineapple suggest that fermentation events were ongoing. Yeast were confirmed as the source of the fermentation derived alcohols. No other microbes (aerobic plate counts, total coliforms, E. coli, and mold) were found above the range acceptable to the fresh-cut produce industry.
- Published
- 1998
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