Effect of pretreatments and packaging materials on the quality of minimally processed cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)

R NEELAVATHI; R K PAL; J SHANKARASWAMY

doi:10.56093/ijas.v86i11.62927

Authors

R NEELAVATHI Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
R K PAL National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Solapur, Maharashtra
J SHANKARASWAMY AICPHT & CCM, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v86i11.62927

Keywords:

Cauliflower, Citric acid, HDPE, LDPE, Minimal processing, PP, Sodium hypochlorite

Abstract

A research study was carried out on Minimal processing of cauliflower in the Division of Post Harvest Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Pre-treatment of cauliflower florets with 150 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 2 minutes were found to be effective in reducing the bacterial population. Dipping of florets in 1% citric acid for 5 minutes was found to be highly effective in checking bacterial population (3.65 log cfu/g) in the minimally processed cauliflower. The maximum retention of firmness (18.08 N) was found in 1 % CaCl₂ treated cauliflower followed by 0.5 % citric acid + 0.5 % CaCl₂. The minimally processed cauliflower treated with 150 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 2 minutes and 1 % citric acid for 5 minutes, packed in HDPE (500 gauge), LDPE (100 gauge) and PP (100 gauge) and stored at 5o C for 20 days. The least weight loss was observed in the cauliflower stored in HDPE (2.35%). The respiratory rate and ethylene evolution was higher in cauliflower stored in LDPE packaging than HDPE. During storage, sinigrin content was found to be the higher in cauliflower packed in HDPE films (55.78 μmol/100 g) followed by LDPE (43.74 μmol /100 g). Cauliflower florets packed in HDPE retained significantly higher level of ascorbic acid (43.49 mg/100 g) and firmness (15.92 N). The electrolyte leakage was found to be lower in HDPE (29.5%). The microbial population of minimally processed cauliflower was found to be below the safe level even after 20 days of storage.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

AOAC. 1984. Official Method of Analysis, 9th edn. Association of official Agricultural Chemists, Washington DC.

Brecht J K. 1995. Physiology of lightly processed fruits and vegetables. Horticultural Science 30(1): 18–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.30.1.18

Cartea M E, Francisco M, Soengas P and Velasco P. 2011. Phenolic compounds in Brassica vegetables. Molecules 16: 251–80 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules16010251

Delaquis P J, Fukumoto L R, Toivonen P M A and Cliff M A. 2001. Implications of wash water chlorination and tempaerature for the microbial and sensory properties of fresh cut iceberg lettuce. Postharvest Biology and Technology 31: 81–91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(03)00134-0

Emmambux N M and Minnaar A. 2003. The effect of edible coatings and polymeric packaging films on the quality of minimally processed carrot. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 83: 1 065–71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.1509

Fahey J W, Zalemann A T and Talalay P. 2001. The chemical diversity and distribution of glucosinolates and isothiocyanates among plants. Phytochemistry 56: 5–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)00316-2

Hansen M, Moller P Sorensen H and De Trejo M C. 1995. Glucosinolates in Broccoli stored under controlled atmosphere. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 120(6): 1 069–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.120.6.1069

Kaur C and Kapoor H C. 2001. Antioxidant activity and quality of minimally processed Indian cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 25(5): 367–80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4549.2001.tb00467.x

Kim J G, Luo Y G and Gross K C. 2004. Effect of package film on the quality of fresh cut salad savoy. Postharvest Biology and Technology 32(1): 99–107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2003.10.006

Manolopoulou E and Varzakas T. 2011. Effect of storage conditions on the sensory quality, colour and texture of fresh- cut minimally processed cabbage with the addition of ascorbic acid, citric acid and calcium chloride. Food and Nutrition Sciences 2: 956–63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/fns.2011.29130

Pal R K, Manoj Singh, Nita Sen, Singh C P and Behera T K. 2004. Utilization of commercially unmarketable bell pepper through minimal processing and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology. Food and Bioprocess Engineering, p 474.

Pizato S, Cortez Vega W R, Costa T S, De Oliveira L M and Prentice C. 2013. Improvement Quality and shelf life assessment of minimally processed apples by use of protein coatings. Journal of Food Research 2(5): 24–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v2n5p24

Price K R, Casuscelli F, Colquhonu I J and Rhodes M J C. 1998. Composition and content of flavonol glycosides in broccoli florets. (Brassica oleracea) and their fate cooking. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 77: 468–72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(199808)77:4<468::AID-JSFA66>3.0.CO;2-B

Rangkadilok N, Tomkins B, Nicolas M E, Premier R R, Bennett R N, Eagling D R and Taylor P W. 2002. The effect of post harvest and packaging treatments on glucoraphanin concentration in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 7 386–91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0203592

Vallejo F, Tomas Barberan F A, Benavente Garcia A G and Garcia Viguera C. 2002. Total and individual glucosinolate contents in inflorescences of eight broccoli cultivars grown under various climatic and fertilization conditions. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 83: 307–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.1320

Wargovich M J. 2000. Anticancer properties of fruits and vegetables. Horticultural Science 35: 573–5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.35.4.573

Watada A E, Ko N P and Minott D A. 1996. Factors affecting quality of fresh cut horticultural products. Postharvest Biology and Technology 9: 115–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(96)00041-5