Effect of hydrostatic high pressure processing on nectarine halves pretreated with ascorbic acid and calcium during refrigerated storage

- HPP is a good alternative to preserve the quality of nectarine halves.
- At least one month of shelf-life is reached.
- The addition of ascorbic acid and calcium is only preserve colour and texture at low pressure intensities.

The effect of the level of pressure applied during high pressure processing (HPP) on nectarine halves pretreated with ascorbic acid (2 g/100 mL) (AA) and ascorbic acid (2 g/100 mL) plus calcium lactate (1 g/100 mL) (AA + Ca) was studied. Honey spp. nectarines (Prunus persica) were cut in halves and they were vacuum packed in thermo-sealed plastic bags. One nectarine half was HP-treated while the other was non-treated, so each nectarine half was compared with the other one in order to assess the effect of the intensity of pressure applied (200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 MPa at 10 °C for 3 min). After HPP, fruits were refrigerated at 5 °C for 30 days. pH, acidity, soluble solids content, firmness and CIELab colour parameters were evaluated after 1 and 30 days of storage. The pH decreased as a consequence of the ascorbic acid and calcium lactate addition while the soluble solids content and the acidity were neither affected by the pretreatment nor by HPP. HPP induced important colour and texture changes in the nectarine halves, although at 200-300 MPa the modifications were less intense. AA and AA + Ca pretreatments had a protective effect on colour and firmness but only at low pressure intensities.