High Pressure Processing Treatment of Fresh-Cut Carrots: Effect of Presoaking in Calcium Salts on Quality Parameters

Effect of high pressure (HP) treatment (200-600MPa; 0-20 min) on quality of fresh-cut carrot slices was evaluated after presoaking in selected calcium salt solutions (1% calcium chloride, 1% calcium lactate, 1% calcium gluconate, and distilled water as control) for one hour. Results showed that calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution pretreatment was most effective for preserving the hardness of carrot slices at 400 and 600MPa and this treatment also resulted in the least amount of color change in carrots, followed by calcium lactate, gluconate, and control pretreatments. The average sensory evaluation scores during 9 days of refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C in control, CaCl2, calcium lactate, and calcium gluconate presoaking treatments followed by HP treatment were 6.4 +/- 0.5, 8.0 +/- 0.5, 7.8 +/- 0.4, and 7.6 +/- 0.3, respectively, on a zero to 9 scale for quality.