Chemical and sensory characteristics and microbiological safety of fresh finely chopped parsley packed in modified atmosphere

For the determination of the shelf-life of minimally processed finely chopped parsley two assays were performed packing the product under passive and active atmosphere. Quality parameters were assessed for 13-15 d on the samples stored at 5 °C and 90% relative humidity: chemical characteristics, sensory characteristics and gas concentration inside the bags. Microbiological analyses were performed for the samples of the second process. Under the studied conditions parsley packed in passive atmosphere resulted in a better product when compared to the one packed in an active modified atmosphere showing quality and stability for a 6 d period.