“…The freeze-dried sample was stored at 10 C intervals at temperatures between 40 C and 70 C. After storage, the sample was rehydrated to 0.04 sample-g/ml with distillated water, and the extent of MR was estimated spectrophotometrically (Shimadzu UV-160) by optical density at 280 nm (OD 280 ). OD 280 , which is considered to be due to the formulation of furfural compounds, is often used to detect the early stage of MR. [16][17][18]21,22) Similarly, optical density at 420 nm, which quantifies the yellow and browning pigments formed at the final stage of MR, is also used, but only OD 280 , which can detect even slight progress in MR, was used in this study. For the average of the three measurements, the difference in OD 280 before and after storage (ÁOD 280 ) was estimated as the extent of MR during storage.…”