Kinetics of the changes in the antioxidant potential of fresh-cut tomatoes as affected by pulsed light treatments and storage time

The efficacy of pulsed light (PL) to reduce microbial loads on fresh-cut vegetables is widely known. However, information about the impact of PL treatments on the physicochemical and nutritional aspects of those commodities is scarce. The results obtained in this work may contribute to identify optimal PL-treatment conditions to achieve healthy and fresh-like cut tomatoes. In general, tomato slices exposed to the highest PL-fluence (8 J cm−2) exhibited significant increases in lycopene and total phenolic contents, thus minimizing losses in the antioxidant capacity of fresh-cut tomatoes through 18 days of chill storage.