360 Quality Deterioration of Fresh-cut Onions

Abstract

<jats:p>A study on quality changes of fresh-cut onions under different temperatures and handling conditions was conducted. High-quality onions were peeled and diced into 1 x 1 cm pieces. Replicated (3) experimental units (150 g) were stored for 20 days in glass jars in a humidified air flow under the following conditions: 0, 5, and 10 °C. To simulate rough handling, onion pieces were rolled with a rolling pin with enough pressure to induce some damage and stored at 5 °C. Objective (color, soluble solids, and dry and fresh weights) and subjective (visual quality, decay, aroma, and discoloration) measurements were taken every 5 days. Fresh and dry weights as well as soluble solid content decrease with storage time and temperature, but decay and development of off-odors increased. An overall browning was observed at the higher temperatures. Colorimeter readings indicate that b<jats:sup>*</jats:sup> and chroma increased with storage and temperature, while a<jats:sup>*</jats:sup> values decreased. No definite trends were observed in L<jats:sup>*</jats:sup> values, and no major differences were found in the hue, although hue tend to be higher with lower temperatures. Rough handling resulted in a faster quality deterioration rate in comparison with pieces stored at the same temperature. At 0 °C, diced onions could be stored satisfactorily for 20 days, although some quality changes took place. At 5 °C visual quality may be acceptable after 10 days of storage, but discoloration started to show up after 5 days, reducing acceptability. Storage at 10 °C only is possible for very short periods of time. Rough handling increases the rate of quality deterioration.</jats:p>

Effect of Packaging and Storage Temperature on Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Onion (Allium cepa L.)

“…Discolouration, dryness and separation of rings indicated the end of shelf-life of a sample. Visual quality was studied as per Camelo and Cantwell (1999).…”