2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Analysis of browning of cut vegetable, which is a quality deteriorating factor, and its regulation
| Project/Area Number |
13680144
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
食生活
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| Research Institution | Ochanomizu University |
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Principal Investigator |
MURATA Masatune Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Associate Professor, 大学院・人間文化研究科, 助教授 (60210051)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HOMMA Seiichi Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Science, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Professor, 生活科学部, 教授 (50017240)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2003
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| Keywords | cut lettuce / heat shock / enzymatic browning / phenylalanine ammonia lyase |
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| Research Abstract |
Recently production and consumption of cut vegetables such as cut lettuce and cabbage have increased. Stored cut vegetables such as lettuce gradually turns brown on the cut section after several days of storage, which is the major quality-deteriorating factor of cut vegetables. This browning happens cutting induces phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, the biosynthesis of polyphenol is promoted, and the polyphenols are oxidized by polyphenol oxidase. We have clarified the relationship between the browning of cut lettuce and PAL activity. Here, the effect of heat shock treatment at 50℃ for 90 s on the quality of cut lettuce during cold storage was examined. The heat shock treatment significantly repressed the induction of PAL activity and phenolics accumulation in cut lettuce during storage, and prevented the browning of cut lettuce. Ascorbic acid content was not affected by the heat shock treatment. The sensory analysis showed that the organoleptic quality of cut lettuce treated by heat shock was significantly better than that of the control cut lettuce. These results show that heat shock treatment is useful for prolonging the shelf life of cut lettuce.
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