## 3 Results and Discussion
### Microbiological Analysis  
The interaction effects of the treatments and storage duration showed a significant influence in the decline observed for both TAMB and Y&M on the fresh-cut 'Granny Smith' apples (\(p\leq 0.05\)). Results obtained showed that both AEW and AIEW exhibited a significant decontamination activity on the fresh-cut 'Granny Smith' apples (Figure 5). Initial microbial load was 2.3 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) and 2.1 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) for TAMB and Y&M, respectively. At the end of storage day 9, TAMB count declined to \(\approx\)0.7 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) under AEW treatment, and to \(\approx\)1.3 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) under AIEW treatment, respectively (Figure 5A). Similarly, Y&M was reduced from \(\approx\)2.1 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) to \(\approx\)0.7 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) under AEW treatment and reduced to \(\approx\)1.1 Log CFU cm\({}^{-2}\) under AIEW treatment (\(p>0.05\)) (Figure 5B). In contrast to this work, a previous study reported higher microbial load (\(>\)5 Log) at storage for fresh-cut apples treated with SAEW [27]. These differences could be due to the higher storage condition investigated by the author, and the initial microbial diversity on the produce [11]. Thus, the inhibition of both TAMB and Y&M growth in this study could be attributed to the combination of EW and the low storage temperature. This emphasizes how crucial the ideal cold chain temperature is to ensure the safety of ready-to-eat produce. Research has confirmed the antimicrobial efficacy of electrolyzed water treatments on fresh-cut apples. For instance, the impact of AEW and NEW treatments on yeasts on fresh-cut 'Royal Gala' apples was studied by [PERSON] et al. [15]. Both treatments with AEW and NEW produced greater yeast reductions compared to sodium hypochlorite. [PERSON] et al. [27] reported that the total number of surface colonies on fresh-cut apples declined by 2.8 log compared to the controls. [PERSON] et al. [29] reported on the effectiveness of alkaline electrolyzed water on the disinfection efficacy of fresh-cut carrots. Compared to the control, the authors found that treatment with AIEW showed the greatest reduction in bacteria, yeast, and moulds. Furthermore, acidic and neutral electrolyzed water was able to inactivate _Cronobacter sakazakii_ and _Escherichia coli_ found in fresh-cut 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes [30]. The highest reduction counts for _E. coli_ were observed on mangos treated with AEW, while _Cronobacter sakazakii_ also displayed similar results. [PERSON] et al. [31] investigated the effects of AEW on the quality and microbiological control of minimally processed \"Tanee\" and \"Klauay Namwa\" banana leaves. The authors discovered that using AEW successfully eliminated microbial growth and eradicated all bacteria on both cultivars. These findings also agree with other studies [32; 33; 34; 35]. According to previous studies, acidic electrolyzed water has a higher biocidal effect than alkaline electrolyzed water [11; 12; 13; 27; 36]. [PERSON] et al. [37] reported that AEW primarily causes oligopeptide destruction at the bacterial cell wall's alanine and N-acetylmuramic acid joints which results in the bacterial cell wall becoming perforated, which in turn breaks down the disulphide bonds in the cell membrane proteins, increasing the permeability of the cell membrane, thus causing intracellular fluid to dissipate and AEW invasion to break down nucleic acids and other bioactive substances, ultimately causing cell death [37]. However, the disinfection mechanism of AIEW is still not known; alkaline electrolyzed water can be used for cleaning cutting boards and reducing surface particles or organic matter before acidic electrolyzed water is applied with greater efficacy [12]. Figure 5: Effects of AEW and AIEW treatments on the fresh-cut ‘Granny Smith’ apple surface microbial load: (**A**) total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and (**B**) yeast and moulds, during storage at 2 °C, 95% RH for 9 days.