Effect of Preprocessing Storage Temperature and Time on the Physicochemical Properties of Winter Melon Juice

Abstract

Numerous studies demonstrated that winter melons (Benincasa hispida) have a long storage life at 20°C without quality and flavor degradation in fruit. However, fruit for processing are frequently handled under refrigerated conditions or exposed to a warehouse without air conditioning. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate whether a short high- and low-temperature storage of fruit, prior to processing, changes the flavor and nutritional profiles of winter melon juice. Weight loss of 1.71% was recorded subsequent to 20 days of 10°C storage, with 5.15% weight loss at 30°C. Sugar content significantly decreased during storage at 10°C and 30°C, while the soluble solids content slightly increased. Several specific phenolic compounds were detected, and the total concentration of phenolics increased over the storage time at both temperatures. The concentration of sulfur compounds, as well as hexanal and total volatiles that are principally responsible for off-flavor reduced significantly during storage and the reduction was greater at 10°C than at 30°C. The results indicate that preprocessing fruit storage at 10 or 30°C for 20 days will not harm the quality and flavor of winter melon juice. However, longer storage time caused water-soaked spots at 10°C and dry rot at 30°C.

Soil Amendment and Storage Effect the Quality of Winter Melons (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn.) and Their Juice

“…Typically, fruit are stored in cold temperatures for extended periods of time. However, similarly to other chilling sensitive fruit, such as mango [26] and Japanese apricot [27], winter melons suffer chilling injury when stored below 13 • C [15,28,29]; therefore room temperature is recommended for long-term storage [15]. A long-term storage experiment showed that many winter melon breeding lines could be stored at ambient temperature up to 120 d [30].…”

Postharvest chilling diminishes melon flavor via effects on volatile acetate ester biosynthesis

“…For example, heat treatment changes the aroma profiles of melons, causing a reduced "fresh" aroma as well as increased unpleasant "sulfurous" and "fermented" aroma (Yu et al, 2021). Additionally, total volatiles in melon juice are reduced significantly after 10°C storage for 20 d (Sun et al, 2022). In tomato, chilling results in loss of fruit flavor through impacting various flavor-associated VOCs (Zhang et al, 2016).…”

In vivo and In vitro anti-diabetic effects of cinnamon (Cinnamomum sp.) plant extract: A review

“…Bligo juice has been added with various sugars and stabilizers (such as CMC) and subjected to different treatments to increase its physiochemical and functional properties. However, the use of Bligo Peel Extract (BPE) to increase the functional value of bligo juice has not been explored, except for Sun et al (14) who prepared bligo juice without removing the peel but did not examine the effectiveness of bligo peel in enhancing functional properties. Therefore, the current research was conducted to investigate the effect of BPE addition on the physicochemical, antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes of bligo juice.…”