The dual effectiveness of Opuntia ficus indica extracts for browning inhibition and microbial inactivation on fresh-cut apples was investigated. Prepared apple slices were treated with 25, 50, 100, 200 mg/mL Opuntia ficus indica extracts, packaged in polyethylene bags, and stored for 10 days at 4, 21oC. Results indicate that Opuntia ficus indica extracts significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited the browning reaction of fresh-cut apples. This treatment also reduced peroxidase activities. The populations of Staphylococcus aureus significantly decreased with increasing extract concentration (p < 0.05). In particular, S. aureus was reduced to non-detectable levels after 2 days in 100 mg/mL treatment at 4oC and 21oC. Opuntia ficus indica extracts therefore have antibacterial and antibrowning effects. The results suggest that Opuntia ficus indica extracts could be useful as a natural food preservative.

Previously , the methanolic extract of peach sees was found to have a strong tyrosinase inhibitory activity in an in vitro assay. Several phenolic compunds were isolated from the seeds by solvent fractionation , Sephadex LH-20 chromatography, and preparative HPLC , and one of them showing strong tyrosinase inhibition was identified as benzoic acid by UV, IR, H/C-NMR, and EI-MS spectrsopy. Benzoic acid (IC50 250/ml) and L-ascorbic acid (IC50=28/ml), well-known tyrosinase inhibitors. In particular , benzoic acid inhibited markedly the enzymatic browing (melanosis) of apple juices at low concentration of 0.01% and 0.05, comparable to that of L-ascorbic acid (P