Effect of heat treatment process on the quality and shelf life of ginger
A.Rosniyana, S. A. Shariffah Norin, S. Wahid
Abstracts of 7th International Postharvest Symposium 2012 (IPS2012). 25-29 June, 2012. Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 238 pages.
2012
บทคัดย่อ
Blanching is a heat treatment process that is applied to most horticultural products for its long and short term storage so as to retain its quality. Plants of the ginger family (Zingiber officinale)are one of the most heavily consumed dietary substances in the world. A study was conducted to determine the quality of ginger subjected to heat treatment using steam blanching and to investigate the effect of steam on the storage of dried ginger. Sliced ginger was packed into a steamer which was tightly covered and steam blanched for 10 and 20 minutes. Blanched and fresh ginger (without blanching) were assessed for their colour, proximate content and microbiological qualities. These gingers were also dried to 10-11 % moisture content in drying cabinet at 40°C. The dried gingers were packed, stored and the samples were taken from the pool for colour, Aw and microbiology analysis at regular intervals. Study indicated that protein, fat, ash and crude fibre contents in dried ginger increased significantly by heat treatment. However, fresh ginger did not differ significantly for protein, fat, ash and crude fibre contents as compared to blanched ginger. This study suggested that the quality of dried ginger can be preserved by steam blanching as the stored ginger had low microbial load and with acceptable colour of grayish yellow ginger for 6 months storage period.