Effects of Packaging Materials and Disinfectants on Quality Changes of Ceylon Spinach (Basella alba L.) during Storage

Phan Thi Thanh Que,Tong Thi Anh Ngoc

doi:10.31817/vjas.2019.2.2.05

Abstract

Minimally processed fruits and vegetables are economically important commodities due to convenience, and healthiness, etc. These commodities are susceptible and shelf life limited as cut surfaces of vegetable result in microbiological and physiological spoilage. To extend the shelf life of Asian spinach vegetables, different washing treatments (i.e. tap water, chlorine dioxide, and peracetic acid) and packaging materials (i.e. Polypropylene-PP, High Density Polyethylene-HDPE and Low Density Polyethylene-LDPE) were evaluated in the study. The results obtained show that washing treatment of the Asian spinach with peracetic acid solution of 100 ppm for five minutes was effective due to reduced significantly E. coli and Coliforms counts. The Asian spinach was packed in HDPE material might optimally prolong the shelf life up to 7 days at 10±1oC.

Highlights

Basella alba L. is an important green leafy vegetable commonly found in the tropical regions of the world (Deshmukh & Gaikwad, 2014; Varalakshmi, 2016)
The coliform counts on the Ceylon spinach washed in tap water, chlorine dioxide, and peracetic acid (PAA) were 4.7 ± 0.7, 4.1 ± 1.14, and 3.8 ± 0.3 log CFU g-1, respectively
After 7 days of storage, the Ceylon spinach in the high density polyethylene (HDPE) package had better quality compared to those packed in PP based on the microbiological quality and spoilage rate

Summary

Introduction

Basella alba L. is an important green leafy vegetable commonly found in the tropical regions of the world (Deshmukh & Gaikwad, 2014; Varalakshmi, 2016). In Vietnam, there are more than 100 industrial sectors of vegetable production with a total capacity of 300,000 tons each year (MARD, 2018). Fresh vegetables are sold in local markets, supermarkets, and retailers, etc. Most of the vegetables marketed are produced as primary production and are rinsed and stored under ambient temperatures in local markets or refrigerated conditions in supermarkets. For convenience and safety reasons, it is necessary to produce ready-to-use vegetable products as minimally processed vegetables, especially Basella alba (Ragaert et al, 2007; Kakade et al, 2015). Processed vegetables, which includes vegetables being selected, washed and dried, and packaged with sealed. These steps may not be efficient to eliminate contamination

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