Preliminary study on the effects of short hypobaric treatment on the storage life of fruits and vegetables under the conditions of cold chain breakage

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of short hypobaric treatment on the storage life of fruits and vegetables under the conditions of cold chain breakage, so as to provide evidence for the solution of the problems induced by cold chain breakage and better maintenance of fruits and vegetables during prolonged deployment at sea. Methods Fruits and vegetables were stored for 23-48 h at normal atmosphere or at a pressure of 700-2 400 Pa, then, stored for several days at cold temperature (or ambient room temperature) under normal atmosphere, and were finally stored at ambient room temperature for 8-24 h. Then, fresh-keeping effects were observed and compared. Results It was found that hypobaric treatment could delay senescence or decay, and therefore, effectively maintain edible quality of leaf vegetables, such as Malantou, Jimaocai and fresh-cut Huawang after cold chain breakage. Hypobaric treatment could also efficiently inhibit the cross-section of fresh-cut sword bean from browning at cold temperature or ambient room temperature. In addition, hypobaric treatment could obviously alleviate the symptoms of mango induced by cold temperature under uncontrolled conditions in winter. Conclusions It was evident that short hypobaric treatment could effectively retard fast decay of fruits and vegetables after cold chain breakage, thus prolonging their storage life. The study results provided good evidence for better maintenance of fruits and vegetables during prolonged deployment at sea. Key words: Hypobaric treatment; Fruits and vegetables preservation; Cold chain breakage; Prolonged deployment of warships