EFFECT OF EDIBLE COATINGS AND ELECTROLYZED WATER SANITATION ON FRESH-CUT 'BIMI' BROCCOLI QUALITY

J. Navarro-Rico, G.B. Martínez-Hernández, F. Artés , F. Artés-Hernández, P.A. Gómez
Traditionally, edible coatings have been used as a barrier to minimize water loss and retard the natural senescence of horticultural products through selective permeability to gases. In this work, the effect of two edible coatings on quality of fresh-cut ‘Bimi’ broccoli during shelf life was studied. The broccoli was sanitized under neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) (ORP=900 mV; 5°C; pH=7; contact time= 2 min). Two edible coatings were applied: Naturcover® (5% of sucroesters) and sodium alginate (2 g/100 ml) using glycerol as plasticizer and sunflower oil as emulsifier (contact time: 1 min; drying time: 1min). The product was then stored under modified atmosphere packaging throughout 15 days at 5°C. As control, washing with cold tap water and no coating was used. The colour, sensory quality and microbial loads (mesophilic, enterobacteria and yeasts and moulds) evolution throughout shelf life was studied. The equilibrium gas partial pressure was 12-14 kPa CO2 and 9-12 kPa O2 reached after 5-6 days. No colour differences were observed among treatments. The microbial loads ranged between 4 and 7 CFU g-1 during shelf-life for the three microorganism groups analysed. After 15 days at 5°C, broccoli samples coated with Naturcover® showed the best sensory scores. As main conclusion, fresh-cut ‘Bimi’ broccoli coated with Naturcover® showed better quality than that coated with sodium alginate and control samples during shelf life.
Navarro-Rico, J., Martínez-Hernández, G.B., Artés , F., Artés-Hernández, F. and Gómez, P.A. (2015). EFFECT OF EDIBLE COATINGS AND ELECTROLYZED WATER SANITATION ON FRESH-CUT 'BIMI' BROCCOLI QUALITY. Acta Hortic. 1071, 463-469
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1071.59
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1071.59
Brassica oleracea Italica Group × Alboglabra Group, modified atmosphere packaging, minimal processing, sucroesters
English

Acta Horticulturae