Fruit processing and preservation - Preservation of the initial structure

Fruits, with the exception of seeds, are water-rich foods with limited protein and fat content. However, they are also rich in vitamins and other essential trace elements, making them an ideal dietary choice. In fact, plants (especially fruit) contain numerous nutritional factors (fiber, minerals, vitamins, flavonoids, polyphenols, natural antioxidants, etc.) whose positive effects on the prevention of serious illnesses have been scientifically demonstrated by numerous epidemiological studies.

The fruit and vegetable sectors have to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. At the end of the chain, consumers have new demands in terms of convenience, health, quality and so on. Faced with competition from processed products (from simple 4th range products to ultra-fresh products, preserves and juices), fresh fruit is trying to maintain its market share.

At the legislative level, unprocessed fruit and vegetables form a category of products clearly identified by the texts: "... unprocessed foodstuffs are those which have not undergone any treatment resulting in a substantial change in their original state. However, they may, for example, have been divided, separated, sliced, boned, chopped, skinned, peeled, ground, cut, washed, trimmed, deep-frozen, frozen, refrigerated, crushed or shelled, packaged or not...". (Arrêté du 2 octobre 1997 – Art. 13). Thus, within the fresh fruit sector itself, some major changes are taking place:

• consumers are looking for fruit with increasingly high keeping qualities (cold or temperate);

• demand for "out-of-season" fruit (strawberries or cherries in winter), leading to an increase in transport and preservation technologies;

• Following a reduction in the time spent preparing meals, a change in consumption patterns can be observed, with a shift from whole fresh fruit to 4th range fruit, i.e. fruit that has been peeled, sliced and preserved in a protective atmosphere.

In this dossier, we look at the various stages involved in preserving the original quality of fruit. Two other dossiers, [F 6 273] and [F 6 274]...