Quality changes of fresh cut fruits during storage.

This research work was conducted to study the quality changes of two different mix of fresh-cut fruits during storage at 4°C (mix 1: pear, cantaloupe and orange); (mix 2: apricot, honeydew melon, peach, and watermelon). Physico-chemical analyses were carried out during 10 days of storage; the pH, acidity, soluble solids content (SS), weight loss, texture and color of the fresh-cut fruits were determined. The values of pH, acidity and SS remained almost constant during the days of storage and no weight loss was observed. Texture parameters of fresh cut fruits of both mix did not significantly change during storage, except peach fruit that showed a decrease of firmness, suggesting that structural characteristics of fresh-cut fruit pieces were preserved throughout storage. Color parameters L*, c* and h slightly decreased over time in fruits of mix 1 while remained constant in fruits of mix 2, except watermelon that showed an increase of h value. The decreases of these parameters could be attributed to the translucency phenomenon in the fruit flesh.