Effects of cultivar, temperature and cutting method on the quality of fresh-cut ginger

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the seasoning vegetables with health function. Fresh-cut ginger has broad prospect in recent years for its simple processing technology, lower production costs and greater demand. But ginger is easy to become browning and wilting after cut. So, it is urgent to establish a complete preservation system on fresh-cut ginger to meet the industrial needs. In the present study, the effects of different temperatures (0, 5, 10 and 15°C), cultivars ('Laiwu Dajiang', 'Laiwu Xiaojiang', big ginger of Anqiu and 'Anqiu Xiaojiang') and cutting methods (lump, chip, strip and cube) on the quality of fresh-cut ginger were investigated. The results showed that Laiwu small ginger had the lowest browning degree, the highest firmness and the longest shelf life during storage for 20 days at 0°C, indicating that 'Laiwu Xiaojiang' was the most suitable cultivar for fresh-cutting. The most suitable fresh-cutting cultivar for ginger was 'Laiwu Xiaojiang'. Ginger strip showed better appearance quality, water retention and firmness during storage for 20 days at 0°C, followed by ginger cube, ginger lump and ginger chip of 'Laiwu Xiaojiang'. And the ginger strips had the best quality under 0°C, followed by 5, 10 and 15°C. Therefore, cutting into strip is the optimum cutting method for ginger. The ginger strips had the best quality under 0°C, followed by 5, 10 and 15°C. Low temperature can effectively maintain the color, slow down the weight loss and extend the shelf life of fresh-cut ginger. This study provides a technology reference for fresh-cut ginger produce.