Effect of ethanol treatment on physiological and quality attributes of fresh-cut eggplant

BACKGROUND: Fresh-cut eggplants, as other vegetables, have relatively short shelf life because of the large amount of tissue disruption and increased metabolism. There is a very rapid onset of enzymatic browning and tissue softening with consequent decrease in sensorial and nutritional quality. To reduce respiration and maintain the quality, various treatments have been applied to find the optimum conditions that provide more fresh and natural fresh-cut produce after minimal processing. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol vapour treatment on physiological and quality attributes of fresh-cut eggplant during the extension of shelf life. RESULTS: The fresh-cut eggplant treated with ethanol vapour showed that respiration rate and occurrence of enzymatic browning were reduced, and higher total phenol content was maintained during 8 days of storage at 10 degrees C. The polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase in fresh-cut eggplant were also inhibited significantly by ethanol treatment. The ethanol treatment reduced the weight loss and maintained the integrity of cell membranes, as confirmed by the low value of electrolyte leakage. CONCLUSION: The ethanol treatment applied for fresh-cut eggplant was a practical approach to reduce the activity of physiological metabolism and maintain the fresh quality of fresh-cut eggplant. The experimental results revealed that ethanol treatment was effective for extending the shelf life of fresh-cut eggplant as a cheap, environmentally acceptable method. (C) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry