Fresh cut Granny Smith apple and iceberg lettuce were dipped in aqueous solutions of L-arginine at
ambient pressure and assessed for browning on the cut surface during storage at 5 C. Arginine delayed
the development of browning and hence extended postharvest life. For apple slices, dipping in 50 mM
arginine for 10 min resulted in a 15-fold increase in postharvest life over control slices. For lettuce pieces,
the postharvest life was doubled by dipping in 100 mM arginine for 5 min. Arginine was found not to
affect the taste of apple slices after a 250 mM dip and was more effective on a concentration basis than
calcium ascorbate in inhibiting browning. Further studies are warranted to assess the suitability of
arginine as a treatment to inhibit browning of fresh-cut produce