Abstract/Summary

Codium tomentosum hydroethanolic extract was obtained using a pilot solid-liquid extractor to validate the anti-browning functionality of the extract under industrial conditions. Fresh-cut apple slices were coated by immersion in: 1) a seaweed extract solution (0.5 % w/v) and 2) a commercial coating, and the two sets of samples were compared with a control (immersion in water). Packaged samples were stored, under ambient and modified atmosphere conditions at 4˚C. After 30 days of storage, the samples which were coated with the seaweed extract and packaged under modified atmosphere, demonstrated lower peroxidase activity and polyphenol oxidation when compared with the samples treated with the commercial additive. These results confirm, at pilot scale and under industrial production conditions, the efficacy of the seaweed extract as a bio-based substitute for the synthetic coatings which are currently used to prevent browning in fresh-cut apples.