Detection of postharvest changes of ascorbic acid in fresh-cut melon, kiwi, and pineapple, by using a low cost telemetric system.

The present paper deals with a novel telemetric device combined with a carbon amperometric sensor system to determine postharvest changes of ascorbic acid (AA) in fresh-cut fruits, without displacing products out of the storage rooms. The investigation was performed on kiwi, pineapple and melon, subjected to minimal processing, packaging, cold storage, and simulated shelf life. Results demonstrated that AA content of fresh-cut fruits of all species declines differently during storage. Cold storage notably reduced the degradation rate of AA in comparison with samples stored at 20°C. The cold-chain interruption resulted in a sharp AA content reduction when the optimal storage condition was not rapidly replaced. Unpredicted results showed a high activity of oxidative enzymes, which prevented AA detection in melon samples. Our sensor system allowed us to demonstrate that both ascorbate peroxidase and ascorbate oxidase affected the oxidative stability and the nutritional quality of fresh cut melon fruits.