Developing an antimicrobial packaging of ready-to-eat pomegranate arils based on vapors of brandy or distillery ethanol

Despite the increasing pomegranate consumption, the ready-to-eat (RTE) arils are highly perishable and this negatively impacts their commercialization. Nowadays, mild pre-packaging decontamination interventions (washing with sanitizing agents or exposure to ultraviolet light) in sequence or not with modified atmospheres packaging technologies are applied. Even though, the latter combination of methods provides them a shelf-life of 10–14 days at cold storage, several negative effects have been also reported (i.e., degradation of anthocyanins). Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of alternative, mild antimicrobials such as the vapors of distillery ethanol and brandy on microbial, physical, textural, sensorial, and multispectral imaging attributes of RTE arils during storage at different temperatures in perforated bags. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts/moulds were the dominant spoilage microbiota of RTE arils, regardless of storage temperature and antimicrobial. Vapors produced by both volatile antimicrobials significantly inhibited (p3.9 log CFU g−1 (1mL of brandy)>2.2 log CFU g−1 (2mL of ethanol)>1.2 log CFU g−1 (2mL of brandy). Moreover, arils exposed to distillery ethanol and brandy vapors showed lower weight loss (%) compared to controls, while the firmness was reduced, regardless of treatment and storage temperature. Color measurements and evaluation of multiple sensory attributes revealed that arils exposed to brandy vapors showed more intense red color and look fresher compared to controls for longer storage time. The latter observation was also validated by multispectral image analysis, since the results suggested that arils packaged with distillery ethanol or brandy maintained their anthocyanin and carotenoids content at higher levels than controls, at 4°C. Thus, such preservation methods may open new perspectives on mild antimicrobial packaging in order to extend shelf-life of perishable minimally processed fruits, like pomegranate RTE arils. •Brandy vapors may be effectively used to develop an antimicrobial packaging of arils.•Brandy vapors extended the shelf- life of RTE arils by far more than 23days at 4°C.•Arils exposed to brandy vapors had