Kinetic models and accelerated shelf-life testing were employed to estimate the shelf-life of Sichuan sauerkraut. The texture, color, total acid, microbe, near-infrared analysis, volatile components, taste, and sensory evaluation of Sichuan sauerkraut stored at 25, 35, and 45 °C were determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) were used to analyze the e-tongue data. According to the above analysis, Sichuan sauerkraut with different storage times can be divided into three types: completely acceptable period, acceptable period, and unacceptable period. The model was found to be useful to determine the critical values of various quality indicators. Furthermore, the zero-order kinetic reaction model (R2, 0.8699–0.9895) was fitted better than the first-order kinetic reaction model. The Arrhenius model (Ea value was 47.23–72.09 kJ/mol, kref value was 1.076 × 106–9.220 × 1010 d−1) exhibited a higher fitting degree than the Eyring model. Based on the analysis of physical properties, the shelf-life of Sichuan sauerkraut was more accurately predicted by the combination of the zero-order kinetic reaction model and the Arrhenius model, while the error back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model could better predict the chemical properties. It is a better choice for dealers and consumers to judge the shelf life and edibility of food by shelf-life model.

BACKGROUND In order to prolong the storage and inhibit microorganisms of pakchoi, the antibacterial activity and mechanism of ultrasound combined with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO‐US), the efficiency of NaClO‐US in reducing Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as preserving quality of pakchoi were investigated. RESULTS Ultrasound treatment could significantly reduce the usage of NaClO solution from 800 ppm to 500 ppm. NaClO‐US decreased the counts of E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, which disrupted the bacterial cell membrane with cytoplasmic leakage. In addition, NaClO‐US significantly increased cell membrane permeability, while cell membrane integrity decreased, the secondary structure of bacterial proteins showed several obvious changes, such as the increase of random coil content, as well as the decrease of α‐helix content. The bacterial counts, E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa population in pakchoi treated with NaClO‐US reduced by 1.89, 1.40, 1.60, 1.72 log CFU g−1, respectively compared to control sample after storage for 15 days. NaClO‐US resulted in minimum chlorophyll depletion, flavor and sensory deterioration. CONCLUSION NaClO‐US solution treatment inhibited microorganisms and prolonged storage of pakchoi. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.