摘要：

The market for minimally processed fruit and vegetables is growing rapidly and root vegetables may be interesting as fresh-cut products. The effect of cutting size and storage time on the quality of the fresh-cut rutabaga, kohlrabi and parsnip was studied. Two different sizes of fresh-cuts were compared; big slices and small sticks. For rutabaga and kohlrabi half of the fresh-cuts were stored directly after cutting whereas the other half was immersed in water before storage. The parsnip fresh-cuts were subjected to two different treatments before storage. They were immersed in dip solutions containing ascorbic acid or citric acid. The fresh-cuts were stored in plastic boxes for 3, 5 or 8 days. Content of ascorbic acid was decided for rutabaga and kohlrabi. Total phenolic compounds and dry weight were measured and the visual quality evaluated for all three root vegetables. The ascorbic acid content was relatively high in both rutabaga and kohlrabi, and ranged from 30 to 55 mg/100 g FW. Storage had no effect on the content of ascorbic acid. Total phenolic content was comparatively low in all three vegetables and varied between 15 – 70 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g FW. A decrease in total phenolic content during storage was demonstrated in rutabaga and kohlrabi. Storage had only minor effects on the visual quality of rutabaga and kohlrabi. In parsnips, extensive browning rapidly reduced the visual quality, making the fresh-cuts unmarketable. From the results gained in this study, rutabagas and kohlrabi seem to have large potential as fresh-cut products, whereas parsnip does not seem to be suitable for minimal processing with the chosen cultivar and the processing and storage techniques used in this investigation.

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