BROWNING INHIBITION AND QUALITY MAINTENANCE OF FRESH-CUT CHINESE WATER CHESTNUT BY ANOXIA TREATMENT

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to test the effects of anoxia treatments on the quality of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut (CWC). Fresh-cut CWC was exposed to pure N 2 for 0 (control) or 4 h, then placed in trays overwrapped with plastic film and finally stored at 4C. Changes in surface discoloration, eating quality, disease incidence, concentrations of total soluble solids and titratable acidity, activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and membrane permeability were analyzed. The short-term anoxia treatment significantly inhibited surface discoloration and disease development, and markedly reduced the loss of eating quality in association with a higher concentration of total soluble solids. Exposure of fresh-cut CWC to pure N 2 gas for 4 h significantly reduced membrane permeability, but it increased PAL and PPO activities. Thus, the browning inhibition of the fresh-cut CWC by the short-term anoxia treatment may be because of the maintenance of compartmentation between enzymes and their substrates, preventing enzymatic reaction. The result suggests that short-term anoxia treatment exhibits potential for extending the shelf life of fresh-cut CWC.