Quality losses in fresh produce throughout the postharvest phase are often due to the inappropriate use of preservation technologies. In the last few decades, besides the traditional approaches, advanced postharvest physical and chemical treatments (active packaging, dipping, vacuum impregnation, conventional heating, pulsed electric field, high hydrostatic pressure, and cold plasma) and biocontrol techniques have been implemented to preserve the nutritional value and safety of fresh produce. The application of these methodologies after harvesting is useful when addressing quality loss due to the long duration when transporting products to distant markets. Among the emerging technologies and contactless and non-destructive techniques for quality monitoring (image analysis, electronic noses, and near-infrared spectroscopy) present numerous advantages over the traditional, destructive methods. The present review paper has grouped original studies within the topic of advanced postharvest technologies, to preserve quality and reduce losses and waste in fresh produce. Moreover, the effectiveness and advantages of some contactless and non-destructive methodologies for monitoring the quality of fruit and vegetables will also be discussed and compared to the traditional methods.

28 p.-5 figFermented oat-based foods offer attractive prospects within the market of non-dairy functional products, since they are suitable substrates for the delivery of probiotic microorganisms, and are significant sources of dietary fiber, both insoluble and soluble such as β-glucan, good quality fat and other phytochemicals important for human health.In the present work, whole oat flour was fermented with probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum strains to produce new functional foods with improved nutritional and technological features. Viability of the probiotic and the main technological, physico-chemical, nutritional and sensorial parameters were monitored at 7, 14 and 21 days of cold storage. The microbial survival was higher than 5x108 cfu g−1 at the end of the shelf life. After the fermentation step, viscosity was higher in products inoculated with the exopolysaccharide-producing L. plantarum strain Lp90. However, a subsequent viscosity reduction was detected in all the samples throughout the storage period, consistent with the observed concentration decrease of the oat β-glucan. Vitamin B2 content was about two-fold higher in products fermented by the riboflavin-overproducing LpB2, and in these samples the riboflavin concentration further increased during cold storage.P.L., G.S. and M.T. are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant AGL2012-40084-C03.Peer reviewe

Due to the increasing interest for healthy foods, the feasibility of using fresh-cut fruits to vehicle probiotic microorganisms is arising scientific interest. With this aim, the survival of probiotic lactic acid bacteria, belonging toLactobacillus plantarumandLactobacillus fermentumspecies, was monitored on artificially inoculated pineapple pieces throughout storage. The main nutritional, physicochemical, and sensorial parameters of minimally processed pineapples were monitored. Finally, probioticLactobacilluswere further investigated for their antagonistic effect againstListeria monocytogenesandEscherichia coliO157:H7 on pineapple plugs. Our results show that at eight days of storage, the concentration ofL. plantarumandL. fermentumon pineapples pieces ranged between 7.3 and 6.3 log cfu g⁻¹, respectively, without affecting the final quality of the fresh-cut pineapple. The antagonistic assays indicated thatL. plantarumwas able to inhibit the growth of both pathogens, whileL. fermentumwas effective only againstL. monocytogenes. This study suggests that bothL. plantarumandL. fermentumcould be successfully applied during processing of fresh-cut pineapples, contributing at the same time to inducing a protective effect against relevant foodborne pathogens.