Method for controlling browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by using glycollic acid
By soaking freshly cut fruits and vegetables with glycolic acid, the problem of browning of freshly cut fruits and vegetables is solved, and a safe and effective anti-browning effect is achieved, and production costs are reduced.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411882274.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-18
AI Technical Summary
Freshly cut fruits and vegetables are prone to browning during storage, resulting in waste and economic losses. Most of the existing anti-browning agents are harmful chlorine or sulfur-containing compounds.
Glycolic acid is used as an anti-browning agent, and freshly cut fruits and vegetables are soaked in glycolic acid solution to control their browning.
Glycolic acid effectively controls the browning of freshly cut fruits and vegetables, and has natural ingredients, high safety, simple operation, no additional professional equipment is required, and low cost.
Smart Images
Figure CN119632087A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of fresh-cut fruit and vegetable preservation, and particularly relates to a method for controlling the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by utilizing glycolic acid. Background Art
[0002] Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables are an important part of the food industry and the development trend of fast food in the future. They are fresh, natural, convenient, nutritious and healthy. However, the most prominent problem of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is browning. Statistics show that browning is the cause of more than half of the fruit and vegetable waste. For example, fresh-cut taro is peeled, cut and packaged ready-to-cook taro. Because the outer skin of the taro corm is removed during the processing, the cut surface is prone to browning during storage, which seriously affects the appearance and commerciality of the fresh-cut taro and causes great economic losses.
[0003] It is generally believed that the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is enzymatic browning, that is, under the action of polyphenol metabolizing enzymes (such as PPO and POD), phenolic substances are oxidized and polymerized into brown compounds, thereby showing browning symptoms on the surface of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Based on this theory, some preservation methods that can control the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables have been developed at home and abroad. Although physical anti-browning preservation methods are relatively safe, physical methods usually require additional professional equipment, which is bound to increase production costs and is not conducive to cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable industry. In addition, many physical methods will also cause undesirable results, such as odor, tissue softening, water loss, etc.
[0004] Anti-browning agents have been widely used in the fresh-cut fruit and vegetable industry due to their stable effects. However, the commonly used anti-browning agents are mainly chlorine-containing or sulfur-containing compounds, which are usually harmful to the human body.
[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to develop natural anti-browning agents that are safer and derived from plants themselves. Summary of the invention
[0006] The present invention aims to provide a new anti-browning agent with high safety, namely glycolic acid. Glycolic acid comes from plants themselves, not only has good anti-browning effect, but also has the advantages of natural ingredients, high safety, simple operation, low equipment requirements, and easy implementation.
[0007] The invention aims at using glycolic acid as or in preparing an anti-browning agent or preservative for fruits and vegetables.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables using glycolic acid
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preserving fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
[0010] The above-mentioned purpose of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions:
[0011] The research of the present invention shows that the browning effect of fresh-cut taro can be controlled by soaking the fresh-cut taro in an ethanolic acid solution for about 30 minutes, and no additional professional equipment is required, which has very good application value.
[0012] Therefore, the present invention first provides the use of glycolic acid as or in the preparation of an anti-browning agent or preservative for fruits and vegetables.
[0013] And the application of glycolic acid as or in the preparation of an anti-browning agent or preservative for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
[0014] In the application scheme of the present invention, glycolic acid can be used as the only effective ingredient to prepare an anti-browning agent or a preservative.
[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for controlling browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables using glycolic acid, which comprises soaking the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in a glycolic acid solution to effectively prevent browning of the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
[0016] Preferably, the concentration of the glycolic acid solution is 0.01 g / L to 1.0 g / L.
[0017] More preferably, the concentration of the glycolic acid solution is 0.05 g / L to 0.5 g / L.
[0018] Preferably, the soaking time is 10 to 120 minutes.
[0019] More preferably, the soaking time is 20 to 40 minutes.
[0020] More preferably, the soaking time is 30 minutes.
[0021] As a specific implementation scheme, the preparation method of the glycolic acid solution is: glycolic acid can be completely dissolved in water first, and then the volume is fixed with water.
[0022] Preferably, the water can be distilled water, tap water, purified water, ultrapure water, spring water, etc.
[0023] Based on the above method, the present invention further provides a method for preserving fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which comprises soaking the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables using the above method, drying the surface moisture, and then sealing and packaging them for low-temperature storage.
[0024] As a preferred embodiment, the low temperature is 0°C to 15°C.
[0025] The surface moisture can be dried by scooping out and draining the surface moisture.
[0026] The sealed packaging can be sealed packaging in a fresh-keeping bag.
[0027] The technology of the present invention is applicable to fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, especially taro, potato, lotus root, yam, sweet potato, carrot, lettuce, water chestnut (water chestnut), kudzu, pear, apple, litchi or peach, etc., and has a good anti-browning effect.
[0028] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0029] (1) The present invention provides a new anti-browning agent, namely glycolic acid. Soaking in glycolic acid for about half an hour can significantly control the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
[0030] (2) The method of the present invention has a stable effect on controlling the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. The use of glycolic acid in a concentration range of 0.05 g / L to 0.5 g / L can effectively control the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, indicating that the control effect of glycolic acid on the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables is very stable.
[0031] (3) Compared with traditional preservation methods, this method for processing fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has the advantages of good anti-browning effect, natural ingredients, high safety and easy implementation.
[0032] (4) This method does not require any additional specialized equipment and has the advantages of simple operation and low equipment requirements, making it easy to apply in industry.
[0033] (5) Almost all plants can synthesize glycolic acid. Glycolic acid can be extracted from plants. It is natural and highly safe. Using glycolic acid to treat fresh-cut fruits and vegetables will not affect their safety.
[0034] (6) In the technology of the present invention, glycolic acid can be used as the only effective ingredient to achieve a significant effect of controlling browning, and can be used as an anti-browning agent or preservative, with simpler ingredients and low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] Figure 1 The appearance of fresh-cut taro treated with different concentrations of glycolic acid after 12 days of low-temperature storage. It can be clearly seen that after 12 days of storage, the taro in the control group (0g / L) showed dark brown spots, while the taro slices treated with 0.05-0.5g / L glycolic acid did not show any dark brown symptoms and remained very fresh. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but the embodiments do not limit the present invention in any form.
[0037] Unless otherwise specified, the reagents, methods and equipment used in the present invention are conventional reagents, methods and equipment in the present technical field.
[0038] Unless otherwise specified, the reagents and materials used in the following examples are commercially available.
[0039] Glycolic acid, chemical formula C2H4O3, CAS registration number 79-14-1.
[0040] The following examples take fresh-cut taro as an example to demonstrate the effect of the technology of the present invention.
[0041] The taro roots harvested no more than 48 hours ago were peeled and cut into slices with a thickness of about 1 cm, i.e., fresh-cut taro slices, which were used for the tests in the following examples.
[0042] Example 1
[0043] Soak the fresh-cut taro slices in a 0.05 g / L glycolic acid solution for 30 min, remove them and drain the surface moisture, seal them in ordinary household fresh-keeping bags, and store them in a 5°C low-temperature cold storage.
[0044] Example 2
[0045] Soak the fresh-cut taro slices in a 0.1 g / L glycolic acid solution for 30 min, remove them and drain the surface moisture, seal them in ordinary household fresh-keeping bags, and store them in a 5°C low-temperature cold storage.
[0046] Example 3
[0047] Soak the fresh-cut taro slices in a 0.2 g / L glycolic acid solution for 30 min, remove them and drain the surface moisture, seal them in ordinary household fresh-keeping bags, and store them in a 5°C low-temperature cold storage.
[0048] Example 4
[0049] Soak the fresh-cut taro slices in a 0.5 g / L glycolic acid solution for 30 min, remove them and drain the surface moisture, seal them in ordinary household fresh-keeping bags, and store them in a 5°C low-temperature cold storage.
[0050] Control group
[0051] Soak the fresh-cut taro slices in sterile ultrapure water for 30 minutes, remove them and drain the surface moisture, seal them in ordinary household fresh-keeping bags, and store them in a low-temperature cold storage at 5°C.
[0052] Test Case
[0053] The fresh-cut taro slices of Examples 1 to 4 and the control group were stored in a 5°C low-temperature cold storage. After storage for 12 days, the color difference values (L*, a*, b*), total color difference (△E) and browning index (BI) of the surface of the fresh-cut taro slices were measured using a colorimeter.
[0054] The results are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1 .
[0055] Table 1 Test results of each group
[0056]
[0057] Note: Capital letters after the data indicate significant differences at the P<0.05 level.
[0058] Compared with the control group, the surface L* values of the fresh-cut taro slices of Examples 1 to 4 were 6.76%, 8.29%, 7.80% and 7.87% higher than those of the control group, respectively, the a* values were 30.47%, 32.43%, 19.91% and 30.32% lower than those of the control group, respectively, the b* values were 12.42%, 15.21%, 20.10% and 25.94% lower than those of the control group, respectively, the BI values were 21.32%, 25.13%, 27.77% and 33.87% lower than those of the control group, respectively, and the ΔE values were 59.65%, 71.63%, 70.96% and 72.86% lower than those of the control group. These experimental results consistently show that different concentrations of glycolic acid treatment can effectively control the browning of fresh-cut taro, and the effect is very significant.
[0059] The above embodiments are preferred implementation modes of the present invention, but the implementation modes of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any other changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, and simplifications that do not deviate from the spirit and principles of the present invention should be equivalent replacement methods and are included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. Application of glycolic acid as or in the preparation of anti-browning agent or preservative for fruits and vegetables.
2. Use of glycolic acid as or in the preparation of an anti-browning agent or preservative for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
3. The use according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The fruits and vegetables are taro, potato, lotus root, yam, sweet potato, carrot, lettuce, water chestnut, kudzu, pear, apple, litchi or peach.
4. A method for controlling browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables using glycolic acid, characterized in that: Soak fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in glycolic acid solution.
5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The concentration of the glycolic acid solution is 0.01 g / L to 1.0 g / L.
6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The concentration of the glycolic acid solution is 0.05 g / L to 0.5 g / L.
7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The soaking time is 10 to 120 minutes.
8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The soaking time is 20 to 40 minutes.
9. A method for preserving fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, characterized in that: After the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables are treated by any one of the methods of claims 4 to 8, the surface moisture is dried, and then they are sealed and packaged and stored at low temperature.
10. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: The low temperature is 0°C to 15°C.