6 replies to this topic

[Baskaran Gangadharan]

Hello, we would like to store cut water melon for 48 hours in refrigerated conditions. Is it a right process? Request your advise.  Regards, Baskaran.G. 

 

 

[Marloes]

Hi Baskaran,

 

What are you going to do with the watermelon after the storage period?
Do you mean that after slicing the watermelon you would like a 48 hour period before serving? Or are you processing it any further?

[ebb30]

It sounds like the question is about the shelf life of the product. You might want to reach out to your laboratory and see if they can do a challenge study. It would involve challenging your product with whatever organisms you are worried about spoiling your product in 48 hours and then observing them over time. You might end up with a longer shelf life, or shorter one, but you'd have data to help you determine if the 48 hours are feasible. 

Edited by ebb30, 18 January 2021 - 04:40 PM.

[SQFconsultant]

I'd check with a lab.

 

I remember being in a cut fruit company that was providing center cuts of red watermelon to US Troops stationed in Kuwait, I sampled a piece of watermelon that was in a container that had been pumped up with netrogen gas and it was over 5 weeks old - texture was a bit different, but the taste was great.

[olenazh]

I'd check with a lab.

 

I remember being in a cut fruit company that was providing center cuts of red watermelon to US Troops stationed in Kuwait, I sampled a piece of watermelon that was in a container that had been pumped up with netrogen gas and it was over 5 weeks old - texture was a bit different, but the taste was great.

Interesting! So, for troops - only the best & yummiest parts of watermelon, eh?:)

[jdpaul]

Interesting! So, for troops - only the best & yummiest parts of watermelon, eh?:)

 

Modified atmosphere packaging does wonders to shelf-life

Edited by jdpaul, 18 January 2021 - 08:48 PM.

[Charles.C]

IIRC, Water-melon "family" is notorious with respect to Salmonella, particularly due it's relatively high pH.

 

Once cut, melon has a short shelf life—about three to five days. The last shipment from Caito Foods was June 7, so it’s possible that a tainted container is still in your fridge. And some people freeze melon, especially watermelon, to extend the shelf life, a spokesperson for the FDA said.

https://www.consumer...u-need-to-know/

 

 

 

Melons  and  watermelons  are  minimally  processed  and  ready-to-eat  foods,  with  an  internal  pH  of
6.13-6.58  for  cantaloupe,  5.78-6.00  for  casaba,  6.00-6.67  for  honeydew,  5.90-6.38  for  Persian  and
5.18-5.60 for watermelons, 90 % water as well as high amounts of protein (0.8 %) and high amount of
sugars which vary depending on the cultivar. These fruit are considered to be highly perishable and a
good  matrix  for  bacterial  growth,  including  the  growth  of  Salmonella,  especially  if  damage  has
occurred to the surface of the whole melon or watermelon or during cutting prior to consumption.
Despite the large variety of cultivars of melon and watermelon produced, most information on risk
factors  and  mitigation  options  for  Salmonella  contamination  is  for  cantaloupe  melons  and  there  is
little  or  no  information  for  watermelons  and  other  melon  cultivars.  Melons  and  watermelons  are
normally not subjected to physical interventions that will eliminate the occurrence of Salmonella

 

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