Effect of aqueous ozone on quality and shelf life of shredded green bell pepper ( Capsicum annuum )

Abstract

The effects of aqueous ozone (1–3 mg/L; 1–5 min) treatments on shelf life of capsicum (bell pepper) shreds, some physicochemical characteristics (gas analysis, physiological loss in weight, texture, ascorbic acid, total colour difference and total soluble solids content), microbiological quality and overall acceptability were investigated. After the treatments, the shreds were packed in polypropylene packages and stored under refrigerated conditions (5 ± 0.5°C, 85% ± 5%RH). The analysis of the study indicated that the exposure to ozone treatments above 2.4 mg/L for higher durations significantly reduced the microbial load and showed better retention of other quality parameters like ascorbic acid, firmness, colour and overall acceptability. The ozone treatment (2.4 mg/L) for 5 min and packing in polypropylene packages kept under (5 ± 0.5°C, 85% ± 5% RH) prolonged the shelf life and maintained the quality of minimally processed capsicum for 14 days as against 8 days only in case of control samples. Practical applications Ozone is an important oxidant as well as a popular disinfecting agent, used as an innovative food processing technology, which enhances shelf life as well as guarantees food safety. It has been used for industrial purposes, dealing with ready to use (RTU) fresh cut vegetables, in replacement of other chemicals like chlorine which produce harmful by‐products and alter the quality. Ozone treatment is considered as an effective sanitizing technology in the fresh produce industry and its usage for fresh cut fruits and vegetables is increasing. The ozone treatments were found to be beneficial in enhancing the shelf life of fresh cut capsicum shreds without altering the quality indices.

Effect of aqueous ozone on quality and shelf life of Chinese winter jujube

“…Ozone was generated from pure oxygen by ozone generator (Li et al, ). Ozone gas was injected in a plastic container (5 L) and gas in excess was moved to destroyer (LDOG‐30, Yancheng Langrun Environmental Protection Technology Co. Ltd, China) through the outlet pipeline (Ummat et al, ). Figure displays the experimental apparatus for aqueous ozone treatments.…”

“…These results evidence the aqueous ozone treatment is an efficient tactic to improve the edible quality of winter jujube. such as carrot (Souza et al, 2018), black mulberry (Tabakoglu & Karaca, 2018), bell pepper (Ummat, Singh, & Sidhu, 2018), longan (Whangchai, Saengnil, & Uthaibutra, 2006), tomato (Venta et al, 2010), green pepper (Ketteringham, Gausseres, James, & James, 2006), strawberry (Contigiani, Jaramillo-Sánchez, Castro, Gómez, & Alzamora, 2018), and apple (Antos et al, 2018) and equipment sterilization (Zhang, Lu, Yu, & Gao, 2005). Ozone reacts at any times in the water, producing very active monoatomic oxygen which can immediately decompose organic substances and microorganisms.…”

“…What is more, it can also make the pores smaller (Ali, Yeoh, Forney, & Siddiqui, ), reduce water transpiration and nutrient consumption, prevent oxidative damage of fruits and vegetables, delay fruit ripening, kill microorganisms on the surface, and then maintain better quality. So, it has been used for food preservation such as carrot (Souza et al, ), black mulberry (Tabakoglu & Karaca, ), bell pepper (Ummat, Singh, & Sidhu, ), longan (Whangchai, Saengnil, & Uthaibutra, ), tomato (Venta et al, ), green pepper (Ketteringham, Gausseres, James, & James, ), strawberry (Contigiani, Jaramillo‐Sánchez, Castro, Gómez, & Alzamora, ), and apple (Antos et al, ) and equipment sterilization (Zhang, Lu, Yu, & Gao, ). Ozone reacts at any times in the water, producing very active monoatomic oxygen which can immediately decompose organic substances and microorganisms.…”

Ozonation as a Method of Abiotic Elicitation Improving the Health-Promoting Properties of Plant Products—A Review

“…According to the literature, 18 sources show negative changes in the color parameter, 11 showed no changes, and 2 showed improvement ( Table 2). Ummat et al [136] showed no immediate effects of ozone on color of shredded green bell pepper; however, ozone-treated samples showed better retention of color for a longer time. Ozone-treated strawberry fruit maintained the best fruit color because of the higher amount of anthocyanins; however, they applied low concentration and short contact time (0.1 ppm for 2 min).…”

Ozonation of Hot Red Pepper Fruits Increases Their Antioxidant Activity and Changes Some Antioxidant Contents

“…A number of studies have been conducted to confirm the positive effect of ozone treatment on the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. A few of them were specific to sweet or hot and red or green peppers [12,13,14,15,16]. Most of these studies focus on issues related to the shelf life, like disease development, affecting the microbiological quality; physiological characteristics, resulting in loss of weight, texture, and color; and physicochemical characteristics, concerning ascorbic acid content, physiological and total soluble solids content; or overall acceptability.…”