Effects of storage conditions on sugars and moisture content of whole chestnut fruits
2010
CHENLO, F. | MOREIRA, R. | CHAGURI, L. | TORRES, M.D.
The evolution of the moisture, sucrose, glucose and fructose contents of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) along the preservation time of 10 weeks at different environments (with and without vacuum-pack in bags) and temperatures (room 21C, cold chamber 3C, freezer-18C) was studied. The moisture content decreased in chestnuts exposed to air at room and cold chamber temperatures. The vacuum-packed samples kept their moisture content independently on temperature. The sugar content, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, had a different evolution according to each storage type. Sucrose content of chestnuts exposed to air showed a strong increase during the three first weeks promoted by temperature. The samples stored in bags keep or reduce sucrose content depending on temperature. Fructose content showed the same trend during the first month in all tests and at the end practically disappears in dried samples and increased in chestnuts with high moisture contents. Glucose content was negligible in all cases. The main contribution of this work is to establish experimentally the optimal conditions of storage of chestnuts, analyzing the evolution of moisture and sugar contents during storage. Determination of these experimental conditions is a basic tool for the chestnut industry for preserving the original characteristics of fresh product.
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