Effect of Supercooled Storage on Maintaining the Quality of Fresh-cut Pear

Abstract

In this study, film packaged fresh-cut pear samples were supercooled at －5 °Cfor 3 days and then tissue characteristics and physicochemical properties were compared with samples stored at 1 °C(control). The tissue characteristics of the samples were then evaluated by electrical impedance, microscopic observation, and a triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) assay. The results showed that the supercooled samples had Cole-Cole plots with well-defined circular arcs, intact cell structure, and cell viabilities that were comparable to those of fresh samples, indicating that supercooled samples were not adversely affected by freezing. Physicochemical evaluations of supercooled samples showed that changes in mass, coloration, and softness were all less apparent than they were in the control samples. Additionally, the ethylene concentration in the supercooled sample packages was significantly lower than that of the control samples, indicating that supercooling reduced ethylene production from fresh-cut pears. The results showed that supercooling could potentially extend the shelf life of fresh-cut pear.