Respiration rates of fresh-cut bell peppers under supertamospheric and low oxygen with or without high carbon dioxide
Andrés Conesa, Bert E. Verlinden, Francisco Artés-Hernández, Bart Nicolaï and Francisco Artés
Postharvest Biology and Technology, Volume 45, Issue 1, July 2007, Pages 81-88
2007
บทคัดย่อ
The respiration rates of fresh-cut bell peppers under diverse high and low O2 levels, with or without 20 kPa CO2, at 2, 7 and 14 °C, were studied. Weight loss and off-odor development were also monitored. A constant respiration rate of pepper dices throughout 3 days under different conditions was found. Fresh-cut peppers exposed to 0, 0.5, 1, 3 and 9 kPa O2 (all CO2-free), and to 0 kPa O2 + 20 kPa CO2, had a lower respiration rate than peppers in the range 20–100 kPa O2 with or without CO2. Under high O2, 20 kPa CO2 increased the respiration rate by about 20–40% compared to that in free-CO2 atmospheres, this effect being lower at low temperature. High O2 had little (at 14 °C) or no effect (at 2 and 7 °C) in stimulating both CO2 production and O2 consumption compared to normal air. High CO2 in the range 20–100 kPa O2 increased the respiratory activity of pepper dices, probably because physiological injury occurred at 14 °C. However, 20 kPa CO2 combined with superatmospheric O2 neither induced a poor visual appearance nor off-odors. Consequently 50–80 kPa O2 combined with 20 kPa CO2 could be used in innovative modified atmosphere packaging of pepper dices to avoid fermentation and inhibit growth of spoilage microorganisms.