THE SHELF‐LIFE OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED FRESH CUT MELONS

Honeydew and cantaloupe melons were surface sterilized by scrubbing with a hypochlorite solution at low level (200 ppm total available chlorine) and high level (2000 ppm total available chlorine), peeled and cut into chunks. Fruit pieces were dipped in a dilute hypochlorite solution (pH 6) of 50 ppm total available chlorine prior to packaging under an atmosphere of 95% N 2 and 5% O 2 and storage at 2.2C. Unwashed and water-washed samples were also prepared as controls. Microbial counts and sensory analyses were monitored during a 20 day storage period. Microbial counts of unwashed and water-washed samples were found to be significantly (p ≤ 0.05) different from the fruits which were chlorine washed initially, and during the storage time. However, increasing the free available chlorine concentration tenfold did not result in any further significant increase in the shelf-life. Rapid decline was observed in all measured microbial and sensory quality factors of unwashed samples during storage. Proper sanitation and production practices along with raw material selection can ensure a shelf-life of 15 days for cantaloupe and honeydew pieces.