2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Retail display of packaged fresh-cut leafy greens is a critical stage of the cold chain management and is prone to temperature abuse when produce is displayed in open cases, due to infiltration of ambient air into the case. Previous studies using a research supermarket demonstrated that produce quality is improved, energy costs were less and temperatures are more uniform when products are displayed behind doors. In this study, we evaluated changes in quality attributes and populations of inoculated bacterial pathogens in packaged baby spinach, chopped romaine, and lettuce mix displayed in a case retrofitted with doors. Compared to our previously published work with open display case, the case retrofitted with glass doors showed significantly improved temperature uniformity and control, thus avoiding temperature abuse and product freezing. All the products after 4-days display in the doored case maintained high freshness and attractiveness which were comparable to those stored at a constant temperature in a 1^oC cold room. Growth of inoculated E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes was minimal for all the displayed products. These results indicate that retrofitting display cases with doors is a practical means of reducing temperature abuse and product damage for fresh-cut display.