Proprietà nutraceutiche dei prodotti ortofrutticoli di IV gamma.

Fresh-cut products (FCP) are subjected to the cutting mechanical stress that principally promotes: a) increase in respiratory activity, with rapid breakdown of sugars, organic acids, vitamins; b) increase in ethylene biosynthesis, that accelerates ripening and senescence, with loss of consistency; c) increase in phenolic metabolism, that gives rise to browning phenomena and increase in product fibrousness. Storage at low temperatures and packaging in modified atmosphere are used to slow down respiration and ethylene production. Treatments with antioxidants are used to prevent or minimize browning phenomena, whereas inhibitors of ethylene biosynthesis have been proved effective in reducing softening. Nutraceutical characteristics of FCP can be increased by the use of controlled abiotic stresses. The stress deriving from cutting can promote the biosynthetic pathway of phenolic compounds, whose beneficial antioxidant properties are known; also the biosynthesis of carotenoids can be enhanced by other controlled physical treatments. This strategy could be a means to increase the nutraceutical as well as commercial value of FCP.