Among the chemical agents used in the past to avoid enzymatic browning of fresh-cut fruits, sulfites have been the most widespread. However, their use has been restricted because of consumer concerns over their harmful effects. Hence, several antibrowning chemicals such as ascorbic acid or 4-hexylresorcinol have shown to be good alternatives to sulfites in fresh-cut apples (9, 11, 13). Nicoli et al. (18) have proposed the use of a modified atmosphere (80% N2/20% CO2) to preserve apple slices from oxidative browning. Other authors (19, 20) have suggested methods based on the application of edible coatings to reduce browning and moisture loss of fresh-cut apples. Osmotic dehydration has been combined with the use of preservatives in order to enhance the preservation of color of apple cuts as well (21). Nevertheless, as far as we know, no work has been carried out to study the influence of different modified atmospheres and plastic permeability on browning and PPO activity of fresh-cut apples throughout storage
time.