Impacts of Electrolyzed Water Treatments on Bioactive Compounds and Microbial and Visual Quality of Minimally Processed ‘Granny Smith’ Apples

Abstract

Ready-to-eat fresh-cut apples deteriorate rapidly in visual quality due to browning, leading to consumer rejection and food waste. In addition, minimal processing induces tissue damage and releases organic substrates, which could accelerate microbial growth. The present study evaluated the impacts of alkaline and acidic electrolyzed water (AIEW and AEW) on natural microbial load and bioactive compounds on fresh-cut ‘Granny Smith’ apples. Minimally processed apples were dipped for 10 min in AEW and AIEW solutions (200 mg L−1), packed in PET containers with lids, and stored for 9 days at 2 °C. Overall, fresh-cut ‘Granny Smith’ apples treated with AEW significantly (p < 0.05) maintained higher total phenolics (99.4 ± 4.3 mg GAE L−1) and antioxidant capacity (79.5 ± 6.5 mg VitCE L−1) compared to the non-treated control samples (42.9 ± 5.1 mg GAE L−1, 31.9 ± 8.1 mg GAE L−1, respectively). Similarly, pretreatment with AIEW maintained the highest total flavonol content (55.71 ± 1.5 mg QE L−1) compared to the AEW-treated samples and control (p < 0.05). AEW pretreatment led to a 2 Log and a 1 Log decline in total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and yeasts and moulds, respectively. The best visual quality and highest visual score was maintained by AEW and followed by AIEW. This study further demonstrated the effectiveness of electrolyzed water treatments in minimizing browning and enhancing bioactive compounds in fresh-cut ‘Granny Smith’ apples.