Rapid Detection of Chilling Injury in Cucumbers via Cooling Curve Approach
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Abstract:
The impact of storage under different storage temperatures on quality and cell structure of Shen Qing cucumbers was investigated. Cucumbers were stored at 2 ℃, 8 ℃, 12 ℃, and 20 ℃ and changes in sensory evaluation, index of internal browning, firmness, cooling curve, and intercellular layer thickness were analyzed. The results showed that at 2 ℃, with an extension of storage time, sensory parameters deteriorated, the quality of cucumber fruits decreased, the index of internal browning reduced to 71% after 12 days and some cucumber fruits began to decay. The firmness decreased to 43.88%, while electrolyte leakage increased by 40%. On the other hand, the cucumber fruits did not show any symptoms of deterioration at 12 ℃ and 20 ℃. The cooling curve showed that, with an extension of storage time, the point of temperature jump moved up and the average speed that dropped to the supercooling point increased as well. The freezing point of cucumber fruits was approximately -2 ℃ regardless of storage time. Changes in cell structure indicated that the intercellular layer thickness increased and reached 3.307 μm at 2 ℃ after 10 days; meanwhile, the secondary wall thickness decreased and reached 4.233 μm.
