Fruit and vegetable processing:
improving quality

Identify and control the factors affecting quality of fruits and vegetables as part of a quality assurance programme

Fruits and vegetables are major products in their own right as well as being important ingredients in many foods. Their significance has taken on added importance as the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption are more actively promoted. This, in turn, has stimulated innovations in fruit and vegetable processing to prolong the shelf-life and maintain the nutritional and sensory quality of fruit and vegetable based products. This hardback book pulls together a wealth of information on fruit and vegetable processing and will be invaluable to anyone involved in developing and manufacturing such products.

Part 1 looks at fruits and vegetables in relation to human health, including discussion of the components of fruits and vegetables responsible for these benefits. Part 2 looks at the management of safety and quality through the food production chain, covering some of the production and storage practices, HACCP, processing admeasurement of quality. Part 3 picks up the theme of quality by assessing a range of technologies that offer the potential for quality improvements: from genetic modification, minimal processing and modified atmospheres to edible coatings, high pressure processing and vacuum technology.

Contents

Introduction

Part 1 - Fruit, vegetables and health

• Health benefits of increased fruit and vegetable consumption
• Antioxidants in fruits, berries and vegetables
• Improving the nutritional quality of processed fruits and vegetables: the case of tomatoes

Part 2 - Managing safety and quality in the supply chain

• Modelling fruit and vegetable production: the case of tomatoes
• Use of HACCP in fruit and vegetable production and post-harvest treatment
• Maintaining the post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables
• Measuring fresh fruit and vegetable quality: advanced optical methods
• Applying advanced instrumental methods: mealiness in fruit
• Maximising the quality of thermally processed fruits and vegetables
• Safety of cooked chilled foods containing vegetable

Part 3 - New technologies to maximise quality

• Measuring and improving the natural resistance of fruit
• Improving the shelf-life of vegetables by genetic modification
• Minimal processing of fresh fruits and vegetables
• New modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) techniques for fresh prepared fruit and vegetables
• Edible coatings for fruits
• High pressure processing of fruits and vegetables
• The use of vacuum technology to improve processed fruit and vegetables

Hardback book - 388 pages