Preservation of fresh-cut mango cubes: a comparative study using ohmic heating, pulsed light, and traditional thermal processes

Ohmic heating (OH) and pulsed light (PL) are preservation alternatives for fresh-cut fruits. High-temperature short time (HTST) and low-temperature long time (LTLT) effects on microbial safety, enzyme inactivation, and quality of mango cubes (MC) were compared with those of OH and PL. MC inoculated with Listeria innocua and Alternaria alternata were subjected to OH, PL, HTST, and LTLT treatments. OH showed L. innocua reductions (2.40–3.42 log10 CFU/g) comparable to conventional thermal processes, while achieving the highest A. alternata reductions (3.15 log10 CFU/g). PL achieved the lowest reductions for both microorganisms. Regardless of the treatment, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was effectively inactivated after processing (85.5–100% residual activity reductions). However, pectin methyl esterase (PME) had a higher resistance to conventional thermal treatments than PPO and its activity even increased after PL processing. The concentration of antioxidant compounds and physicochemical parameters of MC remained higher in non-conventionally treated mangoes.