Conditions for producing long shelf life fruit salads processed using mild pasteurization

- Good sensorial fruit salads with a shelf life up to 56 days were obtained at 25 °C.
- Fruit composition is determinant for fruit salads stability.
- Acidic fruits prevent oxidation reactions.
- Total soluble solids is a crucial parameter to consider on fruit salads preservation.

The development of a fruit salad using mild processing conditions is demand to fulfill consumers' requirements for convenience, long-lasting and healthy foods ensuring safety but preserving the properties of a fresh product. This work intended to investigate the effect of mild-pasteurization and storage temperature on two distinct fruit salads, with different pH (Orange-based fruit salad pH 4.2 and Pear-based fruit salad pH 3.9), to identify the conditions favorable to develop a long shelf life fruit salad. The fruit salads were pasteurized at mild-temperature (70 or 80 °C) and stored at 4 or 25 °C over a period of 98 days. These pasteurization treatments ensured enzymatic inactivation and food safety. However, fruit combination influences fruit salads stability during storage, being colour the most affected parameter due to non-enzymatic browning reactions. Acidity of the fruit salad is important to inhibit oxidation reactions and extend shelf life, as well as the total soluble solids that seem to diminish oxidation process and loss of ascorbic acid. Thus, using mild-pasteurization it is possible to develop fruit salads with shelf life up 2 months stored at room temperature, reducing costs, by simply controlling fruit combination (i.e. type of fruits, acidity and sugar content).