Effect of acidified sodium chlorite and packaging on microbial reduction and quality maintenance of shredded green papaya

Green shredded papaya is the important raw material for cooking Thai salad (papaya salad) which is the most popular Thai cuisine for both Thai and foreigners. Major problem of green shredded papaya is the microbial contamination and desiccation caused of short shelf life. This research was studied on dipping green shredded papaya in acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) at various concentrations for 1 min and then rewashed with cold water for 1 min. The washed shredded papaya was dried by centrifugation, and they were kept on polystyrene tray in PE bag without sealing at 10°C. The result showed that 200 ppm ASC reduced microbial contamination when compared with other treatments. The second research was focused on the study of ASC and various packages on maintaining quality of green shredded papaya. Green shredded papaya was packed in polystyrene tray in PE bag without sealing, semi rigid packaging and active packaging. The results revealed that 200 ppm ASC treated shredded papaya packed in active packaging showed the best quality. This treatment inhibited microbial growth including coliform and also maintained the quality of shredded papaya. It maintained ascorbic acid content and texture, reduced weight loss and got higher score of consumer acceptance than other treatments during 8 day of storage.