Application of hurdle technology on fresh cut packaged eggplants

Aim of this study was to investigatethe use of hurdle technology for freshly sliced eggplants and to investigate changes in microbial, physical and physicochemical quality criteria during storage. In this context, fresh eggplants were sliced into 2 cm, soaked into ascorbic acid and clorinated solutions and packaged using polystyrene (PS) packages eggplants for 0-7 days storage periods at room temperatures (20 ±2 ºC) and refrigeration conditions (4 ±2 °C). According to the results, especially for the samples which were stored at room conditions; surface darkening were observed due to the enzymatic activity and oxidation and L* values were decreased. In addition, ascorbic acid preserved the color in the samples, especially during the first 3 days of storage. The amount of chlorogenic acid in all samples decreased after 7 days regardless of the pretreatment applied. Due to the moisture permeability of the packaging used, weight loss occurred in the storage process and this loss reached 8.89 % in samples stored at room temperature. The weight loss caused an increase in the hardness values of the samples and the lowest hardness was determined in the control sample stored for 7 days at room conditions (2690.3 Newton). Total live and yeast-mold counts showed that the microbial load of eggplants was acceptable in all samples and increased slightly during storage. It was revealed that one of the important quality criteria of sensory analyzis was odor where chlorine and ascorbic acid application was perceived negatively for the consumers at the beginning of storage. As a result of storage, color has emerged as an important parameter in consumer acceptance.