Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2000 Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Fresh -Cut Sweetpotatoes. Elif Erturk Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Erturk, Elif, "Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Fresh -Cut Sweetpotatoes." (2000). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7352. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7352 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING OF FRESH-CUT SWEETPOTATOES A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Horticulture by Elif Erturk B.S., Ondokuzmayis University, Turkey, 1991 M.S., Ondokuzmayis University, Turkey, 1994 December 2000 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9998671 ___ ® UMI UMI Microform 9998671 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedicated to my loving parents “Necla and Raif Erturk” ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to Dr. David Picha, my major professor, for his guidance and support throughout the project. I am indebted to Dr. Yuehe Huang, who provided invaluable assistance with enzyme analysis and Dr. Christopher Clark, who gave me training and experience with microbiological techniques. I thank Dr. Paul Wilson and Dr. Charles Johnson for extended use of their labs, and also Christine Pollet, who went beyond her duty to keep equipment I needed running properly. I would also like to thank my graduate committee members, Dr. David Picha, Dr. Christopher Clark, Dr. Charles Johnson, Dr. Paul Wilson, Dr. Don LaBonte, and Dr. James Oard for their suggestions and for reviewing my dissertation. I specially would like to thank Dr. Mustafa Kaplankiran and Hamit Ayanoglu, at the Mustafa Kemal University, for their encouragement to pursue my Ph. D degree in the U.S. The Department of Horticulture funded my research and the Department of Poultry Science granted me use of their facilities, and Mustafa Kemal University granted me three years and six months paid leave to pursue this degree. in Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS--------------------------------------------------------------------- iii ABSTRACT----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------vi INTRODUCTION---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 LITERATURE REVIEW-------------------------------------------------------------------------6 Generation of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) -------------------------------------6 Selection and Design of MAP Material for Fresh Produce -----------------------------------7 Modeling Gas Concentrations in MA Packages -----------------------------------------------8 Importance of Optimizing Oi and CO 2 Concentrations in MA Packages ----------------- 13 Importance of Water Vapor Permeability of MA Packages--------------------------------- 15 Importance of Storage Temperature ------------------------------------------------------------15 Physiological Consequences of Fresh-cut Operations --------------------------------------- 17 Nutritional Consequences of Fresh-cut Operations ------------------------------------------20 Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration ------------------------------------------------------------21 Carbohydrate Composition and Changes During Storage of Sweetpotatoes -------------23 Carbohydrate Changes During Baking --------------------------------------------------------28 Crude Protein, Vitamin and Mineral Content of Sweetpotatoes ----------------------------28 Importance of Microorganisms in Fresh-cut Vegetables ------------------------------------29 Shelf Life of Fresh-cut Vegetables-------------------------------------------------------------30 Factors Affecting Microbial Quality of Fresh-cut Vegetables ------------------------------31 Chlorine --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------37 Chlorination of Fresh-cut Vegetables ----------------------------------------------------------42 Beneficial and Detrimental Effects of MAP on Fresh-cut Vegetables --------------------- 43 CHAPTER 1 THE EFFECTS OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON RESPIRATORY METABOLISM OF FRESH-CUT SWEETPOTATOES-----------------------------------------------------------------------------46 Introduction ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 Materials and Methods ---------------------------------------------------------------------------49 Discussion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------68 CHAPTER2 THE EFFECTS OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY QUALITY OF FRESH-CUT SWEETPOTATOES-----------------------------------------------------------------------------84 Materials and Methods ---------------------------------------------------------------------------89 Results and Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------94 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 113 CHAPTER 3 THE MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF FRESH-CUT SWEETPOTATOES 115 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 115 Materials and Methods -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 118 Discussion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 125 Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 134 OVERALL CONCLUSION------------------------------------------------------------------- 136 LITERATURE CITED------------------------------------------------------------------------- 138 APPENDIX: SUPPLEMENTARY DATA FOR CHAPTER 2 AND 3----------------- 156 VITA---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 162 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Fresh-cut sweetpotato products have potential to create new value-added market opportunities. To determine optimum film packaging and storage temperature, fresh-cut sweetpotato slices were packaged with semipermeable polyolefin films, having different gas transmission characteristics and kept at 2 or 8 °C for 14 days. The films chosen, in order of increasing permeability, were Cryovac PD900, PD961, and PD941. Among the films, only PD941 film bags maintained an aerobic atmosphere during the 14 days at both temperatures. However, the high weight loss in slices with PD941 film bags will limit the use of these film bags as modified atmosphere packaging