Changes in quality of cut vegetable mixes during the storage

Fresh-cut packed vegetables are more and more popular in Hungary although less kinds are available then in other European countries. Vegetables belong to different botanic and morphologic groups and indicate a lot of diverse habits in the course of the storage. The rate of the psychological processes that occur during the storage are mostly affected by the temperature. We organized a storage trial with 10 kinds of single and multiplied component fresh-cut vegetables and 5 kinds of herbs. Samples were obtained from regular groceries. Storage trials were executed at 6, 12, and 20°C for a maximum of 11 days. The images of stored samples were digitally kept, and evaluated organoleptically. The organoleptic observations were diverse ranging from fresh appearance to emergence of disorders, including withering, physiological browning, stale odors, rotting and acetic acid from fermentation. Vitamin C content was measured between 17-50 mg 100 g^-1, the lowest was in the iceberg lettuce, the highest in the white cabbage. The values usually decreased slowly during storage. The peroxidase enzyme activity was measured between 20-18,000 activity units g^-1, the lowest was in the iceberg lettuce and the highest in the white cabbage We can differentiate three groups according to the measured data and the organoleptic examination: 1) stable products with a long storage life, such as carrots, iceberg lettuce, endive, dill, mint, and spring onions, 2) poorly stored products with a tendency to rot, such as spinach, corn salad, rocket salad, celery, coriander, tarragon, and 3) products that cannot be stored for long with a tendency to ferment, such as white and red cabbage.