청매실의 비가열 전처리 및 건조매실의 특성

Abstract

To maintain the microbiological safety of Prunus mume fruit before it is processed, it was treated with a combination of 0.5% citric acid and 0.1% Tween 20, and stored at 4±1°C for seven days. The combined treatment reduced total aerobic bacteria, yeast, and mold populations in the fruit by 2.20 and 1.70 log CFU/g, respectively, compared to those in the control. Organic acid contents and the Hunter L*, a*, and b* values were not affected by the treatment during the storage. In addition, the dried Prunus mume fruit prepared with 40% red algae extract (RAE) or maltodextrin (MD) treatment and hot-air drying were compared with respect to the fruit’s physicochemical properties such as color, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and microstructure. The hot-air dried samples had undesirable color changes and inferior textures. The RAE-treated samples had a higher total phenolic content (225.15 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g) and total flavonoid content (49.25 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g) than the other treatments. The treatment of Prunus mume fruit with RAE can provide better-dried products than can MD treatment or hot-air drying. These results suggest that the combined treatment with citric acid and Tween 20 can be effective in preserving the microbiological safety of Prunus mume fruit, and its dehydration using RAE is an efficient drying method.