Changes in the quality and antioxidant components of minimally processed table grapes during storage

Minimally processed table grapes have traditionally been used as a component of fruit salads; only recently has been taken into account the possibility of producing single-portion packages in small containers. The aim of this research was to assess the shelf-life of small table grape clusters, including some of the most utilized varieties in Italy, such as 'Vittoria', 'Superior seedless®', 'Italia', 'Crimson seedless', 'Red Globe' and 'Black Pearl', packed in polyethylene containers. Chemometric techniques including principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were carried out on six parameters to develop discriminant models. The berry firmness remained satisfactory until the 15th day of storage, especially in seedless cultivars such as 'Superior seedless®' and 'Crimson seedless'. Variations of weight loss and colour were almost absent in all cultivars. A significant increase in CO2 and a decrease in O2 inside the packages were observed during the second week of storage. During the cold storage period, most of the quality parameters remained stable in all cultivars. LDA achieved satisfactory discrimination of grape fruits according to the variety and the storage time. The results indicated the possibility of packaging small clusters of table grapes that could maintain good quality parameters for a rather long storage period without excessive reduction of the antioxidant activity of the product.