Microbiological and physiological profile of minimally processed vegetable salad pack
2001
Ocfemia, G.S. | Flor, N.B. | Esguerra, E.B. (Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center)
Minimal processing limits the shelf life of vegetables due to the operations involved. Wounding, aside from increasing the respiration and ethylene production, provides an entry point for microbial attack as well. This study determined the physiological and microbiological behavior of minimally processed fresh salad mix (carrot, cucumber, lettuce and bell pepper) packed using styrofoam overwrapped with cling wrap or polystyrene and then stored at 5 or 15 deg C. Individual vegetables had varying responses to minimal processing. Minimally processed lettuce and cucumber had lower ethylene production but higher respiration rate than the intact samples. In the fresh salad pack, both packaging materials did not significantly modify the oxygen level inside the pack. The CO2 and ethylene production of the vegetables packed in styrofoam with cling wrap were higher than those in polystyrene regardless of temperature. As expected, those stored at 15 deg C had higher CO2 and ethylene levels as well as microbial count compared to those stored at 15 deg C and three days for those at 5 deg C due to high incidence of disease
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