Pineapple - Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Postharvest Physiology, Processing and Packaging - page 336

Other products that can be produced using pineapple
pulp are toffee, different sauces, and cake fillings or bakery
goods: The stability of the product depends on the clean-
liness and hygiene of the manufacturing process. Product
may be packed in plastic bags, plastic containers or metal
bins. If no additives are used, these products must be kept
refrigerated because shelf life is not very long due to their
high nutrient and water content.

tion fuel, and medicinal manufacturing industries as well as
acting as a solvent in the laboratory (Hossain et al., 2008).
Peel and other pineapple by-products from processing
can be used as raw materials to prepare natural vinegar by
acetic fermentation of alcohol solutions derived from sugar
or starchy materials (fermentable sugar content of 8-20%).
Vinegar must be pasteurized once it is prepared and bottled.
It is stable at ambient temperature (Coveca, 2002).
Canned pineapple syrup, a food processing waste, can
be utilized as a substrate for lactic acid production by
Lactococcus lactis (Ueno et al., 2003) or Lactobacillus
delbnteckii (Idris and Suzana, 2006). Yarrowia lipolytica
(Imandi et al., 2008) or Aspergillus niger (de Lima et al.,
1995; Tran et al., 1998; Kumar et al., 2003) can produce
citric acid from pineapple waste by solid state fermenta-
tion. Similarly, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous can pro-
duce carotenoids using pineapple juice as a sole medium
(Jirasripongpun et al., 2008), and Rhizopus oligosporus
has the ability to enhance levels of free phenolics from
pineapple residue (Correia et al., 2004). Bromelain can be
extracted and purified from pineapple wastes (core, peel,
crown, and extended stem) using reverse micellar systems
(Hebbar et al., 2008).

By-product utilization
Pineapple processing industry generates residual pulp, skin,
and leaves. These wastes can cause disposal and potential
environmental pollution problems if not utilized to produce
other products.
Pineapple leave fibers have a high cellulose content and
are mechanically strong and can be used as reinforcement in
thermoplastic and thermosetting resins for developing low-
cost and lightweight polymer composites (Mishra et al.,
2004; Mohamed et al., 2009). Although these biofibers
have several advantages, such as low density, low cost,
nonabrasive nature, low energy consumption, high specific
properties, and biodegradability over synthetic fibers, the
absorption of moisture by untreated biofibers, poor wetta-
bility, and insufficient adhesion between the polymer matrix
and fiber reduce the mechanical properties of these biofiber
composites (Mishra et al., 2004; John and Thomas, 2008).
These defects can be remedied by chemical modification
of the fibers by making them less hydrophilic (John and
Anandjiwala, 2008).
Interfacial adhesion bonding and mechanical properties
of pineapple leaf fiber epoxy-composite can be enhanced
in strength and strain when the surface is treated with alkali
(5% NaOH) or with the alkali combined with the depo-
sition of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) from
a toluene solution (Lopattananon et al., 2008) or treated
with silane (SiH 4 ) (Huda et al., 2008). Tongsumrith and
Netpradit (2005) produced pineapple leaf paper for use as
an alternative print paper.
Pineapple peel is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and
other carbohydrates. It can be dried for use as an animal
feed or ensilaged. Ensilaging of pineapple peels produces
methane, which can be used as a biogas. Anaerobic diges-
tion takes place leading to a digested slurry that may find
further application as animal, poultry, and fish feeds (Rani
and Nand, 2004). The utilization of dehydrated pineap-
ple by-products increases the coefficients of apparent di-
gestibility of the nutrients, resulting in satisfactory weight
gains to the goats (Costa et al., 2007). Biomass from pineap-
ple is a renewable energy resource with high potential fuel
source for the creation of steam and electricity, transporta-

FOOD SAFETY OF FRESH-CUT AND
PROCESSED PRODUCTS
During processing, good manufacturing practices (GMPs)
and food safety systems such as hazard analysis and critical
control points (HACCP) are used to assure high quality and
safety of the finished product. HACCP is designed to pre-
vent, reduce to acceptable levels, or eliminate the microbial,
chemical, and physical hazards associated with food pro-
duction. Sample HACCP plans for pineapple processing are
given in Chapter 35. The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has promulgated GMP regulations that apply to all
food processing facilities, including fresh-cut operations
and complements the FDA's current good manufacturing
practice regulations (21 CFR 110). The International Fresh-
cut Produce Association (IFPA) developed guidelines that
incorporate GMPs as well as other food safety standards
such as a model HACCP plan, sanitary facility design, and
proper use of antimicrobials. Several national microbiolog-
ical guidelines have been published for ready-to-eat food
in various countries, for example, the UK (PHLS, 2000),
Spain (Real Decreto 3484/2000), France (Nguyen-the and
Carlin, 1994), Germany (Lund, 1993), and Japan (FEHD,
2002). The European Commission has also published a
new regulation (no. 2073/2005—Official Journal of the
European Union, 2005, L 338) that establishes common
food safety and process hygiene criteria for food in