Development of precooling technique under low-temperature and high-pressure conditions for suppression of wilting and rapid-cooling vegetables

• Project/Area Number: 23580346
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Agricultural environmental engineering
• Research Institution: Gifu University
• Principal Investigator: NISHIZU Takahisa 岐阜大学, 応用生物科学部, 教授 (40228193)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2013
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
• Budget Amount: ¥5,590,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,290,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥4,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥930,000)
• Keywords: 流通管理 / 予冷 / 低温高圧ガス / クライオスタット / 野菜 / 冷却速度 / 水分損失 / 軟弱野菜 / 寒天ゲルモデル / 澱粉ゲル / 冷却 / 複素誘電率

Research Abstract

A low-temperature-gas pressurized (LTP) precooling apparatus was designed and built, and then the performance of preventing transpiration and rapid-cooling for vegetables were examined experimentally. In cases where high-moisture gels were cooled by using this apparatus, the cooling rates were increased by 150 % and total transpirations were reduced to one-fifth by applying pressure of 0.8 MPa compared to under atmospheric pressure. From the results of cooling experiments with broccoli, their total transpirations were not changed by LTP precooling method. However, the cooling rates were also increased and the decreases in L-Ascorbic acid content during storage after LTP precooling were significantly suppressed.