Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-020-00591-1 ORIGINAL PAPER Extending the shelf life and maintaining quality of minimally- processed pomegranate arils using ascorbic acid coating and modifed atmosphere packaging Farid Moradinezhad 1  · Elham Ansarifar 2  · Mina Mohammadian Moghaddam 1 Received: 28 April 2020 / Accepted: 30 July 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Demand for minimally processed ready-to-eat pomegranate arils increased in the market over the past decade due to their high nutritional value, sensory characteristics, convenience, and health benefts. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the efect of ascorbic acid coating and modifed atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the physicochemical, microbiological, sensory quality characteristics and shelf life of pomegranate arils Shishe-Kab cultivar. Treatments were: passive-MAP, passive-MAP (washed arils with water), active-MAP1 (35.2% O 2 , 0.3% CO 2 , 64.5% N 2 ), active-MAP2 (15.5% O 2 , 20% CO 2 , 64.5% N 2 ), active-MAP1 + ascorbic acid, and active-MAP2 + ascorbic acid. The results indicated that experi- mental treatments signifcantly infuenced some of the physicochemical parameters of pomegranate arils as pH and redness increased. A combination of active packaging (MAP1 and MAP2) and ascorbic acid coating preserved the redness of arils and had higher a* values compared to control and other treatments after 20 days of cold storage. Interestingly, samples packed in active-MAP with or without ascorbic acid coating helped to keep the sensory qualities with acceptable eating quality, as well as signifcantly extended the shelf life (about 30%) of pomegranate arils ‘Shishe-Kab’ cultivar in refrigerated storage at 3 °C compared to passive MAP. In conclusion, the results revealed that higher O 2 or CO 2 concentration than air in packages (active-MAP) alone and plus ascorbic acid coating can prolong the lag time of microorganisms and extend the shelf life of pomegranate arils more than 20 days during cold storage at 3 °C. Overall, sensory scores were also higher in ascorbic acid coated arils that were quite acceptable even after 20 days of storage at 3 °C. Keywords Active-MAP · Microbial stability · Passive-MAP · Punica granatum · Quality enhancement Introduction The pomegranate belongs to the family Punicaceae (Punica granatum L.) and is widely cultivated in tropical and sub- tropical regions of Iran. The edible part of the pomegranate is called aril that contains water, total sugars, mainly fruc- tose and glucose, and pectin, organic acids such as ascorbic acid, citric acid, and malic acid, and bioactive compounds such as phenolics and favonoids, anthocyanins [1]. Pomegranate fruits are known to be very benefcial for human health. However, its consumption was limited as the hassle extracting the arils from the fruit [2]. For the food industry to meet the consumer demands for fresh, healthy, and nutritious food, they need to use new processing and innovative food packaging technologies to maintain prod- uct quality and safety as well as assure convenience to the consumer [3]. Today’s lifestyle strives for a healthier diet with ready-to-eat products [4, 5]. However, the inadequate shelf life of fresh products will often lead to consumer dis- satisfaction and complaints [5, 6]. Also, the benefts of using MAP technology for the prolongation of storage duration of whole pomegranate fruits up to 3 months reported in a recent review [7] while reducing chilling injury and weight loss; and inhibiting decay. The development of desired characteristic favor in pack- aged fresh-cut products plays a crucial role in consumer preference and this infuences future decisions to purchase * Farid Moradinezhad fmoradinezhad@birjand.ac.ir; fmn_46@yahoo.com 1 Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran 2 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Department of Public Health, Nutrition Science and Food Technology, School of Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran