Microbial inactivation and quality improvement of tomatoes treated by package film with allyl isothiocyanate vapour |
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| Authors: | Haiyan Gao Weijie Wu Hangjun Chen Yanhong Qin Xiangjun Fang Tony Z Jin |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Post‐Harvest Handling of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, China;2. Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China;3. Key laboratory of postharvest preservation and processing of fruits and vegetables, China National Light Industry, Hangzhou, China;4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA, USA |
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| Abstract: | In‐package sanitisation was developed using polylactic acid (PLA) films with allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) vapour. Tomatoes were artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli, Geotrichum candidum and Fusarium oxysporum and stored in clamshell boxes with the film fixed to the underside of the lid. The changes in bacterial and fungal populations and the quality of tomatoes during storage at 4 and 10 °C were evaluated. The results revealed that the film treatment (4 × 8 cm2 film in 1 L box) reduced the populations of inoculated bacteria and fungi on tomatoes by 2–3 log CFU g?1, and then significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited their growth during the 21‐day storage period at both temperatures. Tomatoes subject to film treatment had fewer changes in quality (colour, firmness, contents of total soluble solid, titratable acids and vitamin C) than the control samples during storage. The antimicrobial PLA film can be used for in‐package sanitisation to extend the shelf‐life of packaged tomatoes or similar perishable vegetables. |
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| Keywords: |
Escherichia coli
essential oil fungi packaging film shelf‐life tomatoes vapour |
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