The effects of preparatory procedures and storage temperature on the quality of carrot discs packaged in modified atmospheres

Carrot discs were produced by combinations of hand or machine abrasion peeling followed by either manual or machine slicing. Machine slicing was carried out using either sharp or blunt blades. The carrot discs were then packaged into a micro-perforated oriented polypropylene film (PA-60) and stored for 6 days at 4 or 8 degrees C. Sensory descriptive analysis showed that more severe processing resulted in a greater loss of appearance and colour with increased surface whitening compared with the manually processed carrot discs. Machine prepared carrot discs had a higher degree of lightness, with lower colour hues. Initially, carrot discs produced by the more severe processing had higher levels of headspace volatiles. However, during storage greater reductions in headspace volatiles occurred compared with those manually peeled or sliced. Principal component analysis confirmed that minimal processing had a large influence on quality with the milder processing treatments providing a better retention of shelf-life. Of the treatments examined, the combination of manual peeling and slicing and storage at 4 degrees C allowed better preservation of sensory quality.