Effect of ozone and calcium lactate treatments on browning and texture properties of fresh-cut lettuce
2006
Rico, D. | Martín-Diana, A.B. | Frías, J.M. | Henehan, G.T.M. | Barry-Ryan, C.
The effects of three treatments, 1 mg L⁻¹ ozone at 18-20 °C, 15 g L⁻¹ calcium lactate (CLac) at 50 °C and a combination thereof, were compared on fresh-cut lettuce over 10 days of refrigerated storage. Respiration rate, browning and texture were examined as main quality indicators. The use of ozone produced a significantly (P < 0.05) higher oxygen decline than the use of CLac (from day 3 to day 10). At the end of storage, CLac (alone or combined with ozone) samples had higher oxygen content (approximately 9%) than ozone samples (approximately 6%). Enzymatic activity decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in ozone samples. Polyphenol oxidase activity in fresh-cut lettuce treated with ozone (alone or combined with CLac) showed lower values on day 1 (<2500 units g⁻¹) and at the end of storage (<3000 units g⁻¹) than CLac samples (4000-4800 units g⁻¹). Ozone also reduced peroxidase activity to approximately 300 units g⁻¹ after treatment. Finally, pectin methylesterase activity was also reduced with ozone, showing a negative effect on textural properties. Data suggested that CLac maintained quality markers better than treatments with ozone and ozone/CLac combination over 10 days of storage.
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