Fresh prepared produce: GMP for high oxygen
MAP and non-sulphite dipping

Extend the quality shelf-life of fresh prepared fruit and vegetables with the use of novel high oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and non-sulphite dipping treatments

The fresh prepared produce market is highly dynamic: the 'healthy eating' perception of fresh prepared fruit and vegetables has significantly stimulated development of added-value products. However, the shelf-life of these products is limited by spoilage resulting from enzymic discoloration, microbial growth and moisture loss. Shelf-life extension offers significant commercial benefits including less wastage during production, longer distribution lines, improved product image and the opportunity to sell convenient, fresh prepared produce items to the consumer with a reasonable remaining chilled storage life.

This guide addresses how such shelf-life extension can be achieved by using novel high oxygen MAP and non-sulphite dipping treatments. It provides practical guidance and background information on issues such as safety, optimal high oxygen mixtures, produce volume/gas ratios, packaging materials, chilled storage temperatures, non-sulphite formulations and dipping protocols, to facilitate commercial exploitation of this new technology.

The guide is based on the results of an extensive EU and industry project and reflects a consensus of informed technical opinion from the prepared produce, retail, food service, packaging film, packaging machinery, instrument control, gas supply and non-sulphite dipping supply industries.

Scope of this guide

The purpose of this publication is to provide practical guidance on the use of high oxygen MAP and non-sulphite dipping treatments as applied to fresh prepared fruit and vegetables. It covers fresh produce which may have been subjected to processing operations such as cutting, slicing, shredding, peeling, trimming, coring or chopping (which do not affect the 'fresh-like' characteristics of the produce) but not heat treatment or freezing. It does not cover chilled 'combination' products (e.g. ready meals), even where these contain fresh prepared produce.

The intention is that the guidance and background information will enable companies to identify how the technology might be applied to their products and exploited commercially.

Intended audience

The guide is aimed at technical and production personnel and product developers, right along the food production and distribution chain, in the fresh prepared produce sector. It is also relevant to gas, MAP machinery and packaging companies supplying the fresh prepared produce sector. This guide is complemented by the British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) publication Safe application of oxygen enriched atmospheres when packing food, which was also produced as part of this project and is available from CCFRA and the BCGA.