Abstract
The young leaves and shoots of the Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem. tree, called Chinese toon, are commonly eaten as a vegetable in China. This study was conducted to develop a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system for Chinese toon tender shoots and to evaluate the effect of film oxygen transmission rate (OTR) on package atmospheres and consequent product quality changes during storage. Fresh precooled Chinese toon tender shoots (25±0.5 g each) were packaged in sealed 10 cm × 15 cm polyethylene bags prepared with films of OTRs of 8.0, 11.6, 16.6, 21.4, or 29.5 pmol s−1 m−2 Pa−1 and stored at 4±0.5°C for 25 days. Evaluations included package atmospheres, tissue electrolyte leakage, color, and sensory attributes (overall visual quality, off-odor, texture, and marketability). Results indicated that the OTR of the package film significantly (P<0.05) affected package headspace gas composition, a⁎, hue angles, product quality, and shelf-life, under the tested package configurations and storage conditions. Packages with film OTR of 21.4 pmol s−1 m−2 Pa−1 attained stable O2 (8.4–10.0 kPa) and CO2 (2.2–3.0 kPa) levels by day 10, which were maintained through the end of storage; products stored in these packages maintained freshness with high overall quality scores.
Highlights
Chinese toon is a tree in the Meliaceae or Mahogany
Toona sinensis is rich in bioactive compounds including flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, anthraquinones, and phenolics, which confer many health benefits, such as detoxification and anti-inflammation, anticancer, antidiabetes, antioxidative, and antithrombotic properties [1,2,3,4]
The selection of a package film with suitable oxygen transmission rate (OTR) for the specific fresh produce type along with optimal processing and storage conditions plays a key role in successful Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) storage technology
Summary
Chinese toon is a tree in the Meliaceae or Mahogany. Its young leaves and shoots are favored as a popular spring tree vegetable in China. Storage technologies that can maintain quality and prolong shelf-life of tender Chinese toon shoots are much needed. Refrigerated storage temperatures slow metabolism, reducing respiration rate and helping extend the shelf-life of Chinese toon shoots, but this is not sufficient to maintain high quality of the product. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is an effective storage technology for maintaining quality and prolonging shelf-life of many horticultural commodities by matching the respiration rate of the packaged produce to the film’s gas permeability and establishing an equilibrium [5, 6]. The produce type and respiration rate, package film OTR, package weight and surface area, storage temperature, and relative humidity are important factors influencing the package headspace gas composition [7]. The selection of a package film with suitable OTR for the specific fresh produce type along with optimal processing and storage conditions plays a key role in successful MAP storage technology
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