title: Selected quality characteristics of fresh-cut sweet potatoes coated with chitosan during 17-day refrigerated storage.
abstract: Selected quality characteristics of fresh-cut sweet potatoes (FCSP) coated with chitosan were evaluated during 17-d refrigerated storage. The FCSP cubes were coated with a solution (1%, w/v) of chitosan having 470 or 1110 kDa. Color (L*, a*, b*) values of uncoated and chitosan-coated FCSP during storage were generally affected by storage time as well as coating treatments (P < 0.05). No significant changes in color lightness (L*) of 470 kDa-coated FCSP were observed during the 17-d storage. During days 3 to 17, 470 kDa-coated FCSP had significantly higher redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values than did uncoated and 1110 kDa-coated FCSP. Texture firmness of uncoated and chitosan-coated FCSP exhibited minimal changes during the 17-d storage. Although actual weight loss values (%) of uncoated and chitosan-coated FCSP were not significantly different at day 17, the weight loss difference (%) between day 3 and day 17 for uncoated FCSP (3.02%) was slightly higher compared to those (2.24% to 2.26%) of chitosan-coated FCSP. The initial total aerobic count was 4.7 log(10) CFU/g which then gradually increased to 8.54 and 9.67 log(10) CFU/g after 17 d of storage for 470 kDa-coated and uncoated FCSP, respectively. After day 6, the total aerobic counts of uncoated FCSP were higher than those of 470 kDa-coated FCSP. The yeast and mold count of chitosan-coated FCSP was about 2.5 log(10) CFU/g at day 17. Overall, consumers could not differentiate between 470 kDa-coated FCSP at day 17 and uncoated FCSP at day 0.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Food Science, Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Waimaleongora-Ek
authors.forename: A J H
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Corredor
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: No
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Prinyawiwatkul
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Janes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sathivel
mesh_terms: D048271:Chitosan; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003116:Color; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D027723:Ipomoea batatas / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D011786:Quality Control; D012677:Sensation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D048271:Chitosan