The perspectives of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables on the Zagreb market

• Published in: Glasnik zaštite bilja
• Main Authors: Levaj, Branka, Matijević, Božidar, Zorić, Zoran, Dragović-Uzelac, Verica, Bursać Kovačević, Danijela, Lončarić, Sanja, Pedisić, Sandra, Elez Garofulić, Ivona, Mrvčić, Jasna, Čosić, Zrinka, Repajić, Maja
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ZADRUŽNA ŠTAMPA, d.d. 2020
• Subjects: fresh-cut fruits and vegetables; fresh-cut apples; vending machine; microbial analysis; market analysis; fresh-cut voće i povrće; fresh-cut jabuke; automat; mikrobiološka analiza; analiza tržišta; sami
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/241589; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/375869

The fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (FCFV) are defined as products that have been trimmed and/or peeled and/or cut into 100% usable product that is bagged or pre-packaged to offer consumers a high nutrition, convenience and flavor while still maintaining its freshness. Fruits and vegetables (FV) are abundant with phytochemicals that indicate beneficial influence on human health when consumed frequently and as a part of daily diet. Healthy conscious consumers appreciate convenience of FCFV, but due to its extreme perishability sometimes their quality and safety may be questionable leading to its shortened shelf-life. Optimal processing as well as distribution conditions are imperative for prolonging their shelf-life. Hence, the prototype of vending machine (VM) for FCFV which could replace usual salad bars in food services and maintaining the highest hygiene criteria was constructed by funding of the BICRO-project and implemented at Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology University of Zagreb. In the first part of this study, performance of VM prototype in the cold storage of fresh-cut (FC) apple during 7 days was investigated and interest for FCFV by oral survey with Zagreb citizens was examined in the second part. Quality and sensory characteristics of FC apples stored in VM remained satisfactory for 4 days and microbial analysis showed that VM could provide a safe product for 7 days. Furthermore, the need for such device confirmed the tendency of consumers to choose their own FCFV combinations and purchase such products near the workplace. In general, market analysis proved increased consumers demand for FCFV. Svježe rezano (eng. fresh-cut; FC) voće ili povrće predstavlja voće ili povrće oprano, oguljeno i/ili narezano i zapakirano, u potpunosti iskoristivo, praktično te sačuvane nutritivne vrijednosti, okusa i svježine. Voće i povrće obiluje biološki aktivnim spojevima koji imaju blagotvorni učinak na zdravlje ljudi ako se konzumiraju često i svakodnevno. Zdravstveno osviješteni potrošači cijene takve proizvode zbog njihove praktičnost iako su skloni brzom kvarenju što utječe na skraćenje roka trajanja tih proizvoda. Optimalni uvjeti proizvodnje kao i uvjeti prodaje nužni su za održavanje njihove ispravnosti u predviđenom roku trajanja. U okviru BICRO-projekta koji se provodio na Prehrambeno-biotehnološkom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu izrađen je prototip automata koji bi mogao zamijeniti serviranje FC voća i povrća na način tzv. salad-bara i osigurati najviše higijenske uvjete serviranja takve hrane. U prvom dijelu ovog istraživanja ispitan je rad prototipa sa svježe narezanom jabukom tijekom 7 dana, a u drugom dijelu provedena je usmena anketa građana Zagreba o njihovim navikama i interesu vezano za FC voće i povrće. Kvaliteta i senzorske osobine FC jabuka skladištenih u prototipu bile su zadovoljavajuće 4 dana, a mikrobiološka analiza pokazala je da prototip daje siguran proizvod kroz 7 dana. Temeljem odgovora građana koji su iskazali interes da prilikom kupovine FC voća i povrća sami biraju vlastitu kombinaciju te da im je moguće kupovati takve proizvode i blizu radnog mjesta, čini se da postoji potreba za postojanjem ovakvog automata. Općenito, analiza tržišta ukazala je da građani kupuju FC proizvode i da postoji interes za proširenjem ponude.