Optimization of the Appearance Quality in CO2 Processed Ready-to-Eat Carrots through Image Analysis

Gianmarco Barberi; Víctor González-Alonso; Sara Spilimbergo; Massimiliano Barolo; Alessandro Zambon; Pierantonio Facco

doi:10.3390/foods10122999

Optimization of the Appearance Quality in CO₂ Processed Ready-to-Eat Carrots through Image Analysis

Foods. 2021 Dec 4;10(12):2999. doi: 10.3390/foods10122999.

Authors

Gianmarco Barberi¹, Víctor González-Alonso², Sara Spilimbergo², Massimiliano Barolo¹, Alessandro Zambon², Pierantonio Facco¹

Affiliations

¹ CAPE-Lab-Computer Aided Process Engineering Laboratory, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 9-35131 Padova, Italy.
² Superunit-CO2 Innovation Lab, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 9-35131 Padova, Italy.

Abstract

A high-pressure CO₂ process applied to ready-to-eat food products guarantees an increase of both their microbial safety and shelf-life. However, the treatment often produces unwanted changes in the visual appearance of products depending on the adopted process conditions. Accordingly, the alteration of the visual appearance influences consumers' perception and acceptability. This study aims at identifying the optimal treatment conditions in terms of visual appearance by using an artificial vision system. The developed methodology was applied to fresh-cut carrots (Daucus carota) as the test product. The results showed that carrots packaged in 100% CO₂ and subsequently treated at 6 MPa and 40 °C for 15 min maintained an appearance similar to the fresh product for up to 7 days of storage at 4 °C. Mild appearance changes were identified at 7 and 14 days of storage in the processed products. Microbiological analysis performed on the optimal treatment condition showed the microbiological stability of the samples up to 14 days of storage at 4 °C. The artificial vision system, successfully applied to the CO₂ pasteurization process, can easily be applied to any food process involving changes in the appearance of any food product.

Keywords: food appearance; food preservation; high-pressure CO2; image analysis; modified atmosphere packaging; multivariate hypothesis testing; ready-to-eat carrots.