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Abstract
There has been growing demand for healthy and convenient fresh cut produce, but shredded cabbage can be exposed to loss of refrigeration conditions at many points during storage and distribution. This study analyzed the effect of mild temperature abuse conditions (25 °C) on the quality characteristics of cabbages stored over a three-week period. The cabbages were exposed to temperature abuse intervals of 8, 16, and 24 hours prior to refrigerated storage and compared to cabbages kept under refrigeration. Cabbages exposed to temperature abuse conditions for 8 hours did not significantly differ from those kept under refrigeration conditions for any of the quality parameters assessed in this study. However, the L-ascorbic acid and glucosinolate contents of the shredded cabbages that were temperature abused for 16 and 24 hours were lower in comparison to the refrigerated cabbages. Anthocyanins were not significantly impacted by temperature abuse but were degraded during shredding.