1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Studies on the storage of fruits and vegetables by high electric fields
| Project/Area Number |
05660036
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Research Field |
園芸・造園学
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Kagoshima University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
HASHINAGA Fumio Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University Professor, 農学部, 教授 (70038222)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1993 – 1995
|
| Keywords | Fruit and vegetables / High electric field / Evaporation / Strawberry / Seed germination |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
To develop a new method for extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables an ordinary frequency high electric (HEF) was applied. Alternating current wire electric field was more effective in promoting evaporation of water than the other plate electric fields and the effect was directly proportional to the extent of the treatment. The depression of the evaporation rate after HEF treatment was found to depend on the surface temperature of the solution. HEF was very effective in promoting evaporation even at higher concentration of solution and drying the cut discs of apple flesh. It was found that the exposure of HEF on green sweet peppers elongated its freshness/greenness and also reduced the percent of fresh weight loss as compared to the control. To investigate the effect of HEF on postharvest physiology of fruits and vegetables were exposed to an alternating current HEF for short periods. The HEF treatment on pears, plums, banana and apples suppressed the respiration rate, without regard to the treatment before and after climacteric period. An external electric field induced an internal voltage in strawberry sample. The effect of HEF to reduce the rotting of strawberries was found even for short periods of treatment. But no differences were obserbed in surface color, pH,activity and sugar contents between treated and non-treated samples. On the other hand, for the purpose of promoting the germination of vegetable seeds, three kinds of HEF were used. The germination rates of some seeds were significantly stimulated by exposure to DC electric field. In the case of AC electric field, the promoting effects on both of the germination rate and the mean days of seed germination were demonstrated. Under the circumstance of AC electric field, the growth of the young plants were promoted as compared with that of the control.
|
Research Products
(8 results)
