Premium
Evaluation of L ‐Cysteine as Anti‐Browning Agent in Fresh‐Cut Lettuce Processing
Author(s) -
Pace Bernardo,
Capotorto Imperatrice,
Ventura Maddalena,
Cefola Maria
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/jfpp.12312
Subject(s) - browning , shelf life , food science , chemistry , cysteine , horticulture , biology , biochemistry , enzyme
Fresh‐cut iceberg lettuce was treated with two different concentrations of L ‐cysteine, in order to select the proper treatment able to improve the storage in air. L ‐cysteine at 0.1% was selected because it significantly slowed down browning, respiration activity and soluble o ‐quinones formation and preserved the antioxidant activity. Thus, a second experiment in which this concentration was applied to fresh‐cut lettuce processing was carried out. The effectiveness of the treatment with L ‐cysteine was confirmed and enhanced by the storage in modified atmosphere, increasing the shelf life of 40% respect to control samples. Sensory analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the treatment, showing that fresh‐cut lettuce dipped with L ‐cysteine obtained better scores for appearance, texture, and absence of browning and of unpleasant odor than control. Finally, treatment with L ‐cysteine resulted with a suitable anti‐browning agent, which could be used in fresh‐cut lettuce processing. Practical Applications Browning of fresh‐cut iceberg lettuce represents one of the major causes of quality loss, which limits its shelf life. This research provides scientific evidence of the use of L ‐cysteine, as anti‐browning agent, in alternative to washing with only hypochlorite in fresh‐cut lettuce processing. This treatment could be easily implemented in fresh‐cut lettuce processing, as it does not require additional facilities or investment; moreover, it gives advantages to processors and consumers in terms of shelf‐life extension and in the improvement of fresh‐cut lettuce sensory and quality traits.