Factors Affecting the Flavor of Fresh-Cut Apples

Supplying the increasing demand for flavorful, high quality fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is a continual challenge.  The complex and dynamic nature of flavor production contributes to the challenge of satisfying consumer expectations.  Understanding factors that impact the flavor of fresh-cut products could lead to improved technologies to optimize flavor.  In this study the effects of cutting, packaging, and storage on the flavor of ‘Gala’ and ‘Ambrosia’ apple fruit (Malus domestica Barkh.) were determined.  The process of cutting fruit increased rate of respiration and release of other volatiles.  Respiration of slices was 3-fold greater than that of whole apples, while headspace concentrations of acetate esters and ethanol also increased.  Packaging also impacts flavor.  When ‘Gala’ apple slices were packaged in solid (S) or micro-perforated (MP) film bags and held at 5C for 14 days, slices held in the MP bags had higher fruit aroma, fruity flavor, perceived sweetness and better textural characteristics as perceived by a sensory panel than those packaged in S bags.  Apple slices in the MP bags also had greater juiciness and higher concentrations of straight chain esters and estragole.  The better flavor of the fruit in MP bag was associated with lower ethylene and higher O₂ concentrations in the package compared to the S bags.  In an additional experiment in which CA stored ‘Gala’ and ‘Ambrosia’ apples were sliced, sealed in S bags, and stored for 14 days at 5C, total ester and estragole concentrations decreased 47% and 99%, respectively, during storage.  All esters followed this trend with the exception of methyl butanoate and butyl acetate that increased 760% and 120% after 2 weeks of storage, respectively.  Holding whole fruit for 14 or 28 days in air at 0C following CA storage had no effect on the total ester concentration of apple slices, but caused a decline in estragole concentration.