Effect of Ascorbic Acid Combined with Modified Atmosphere Packaging for Browning of Fresh-Cut Eggplant

The growing demand for fresh-cut products has led to an increasing interest in the study of enhancing the quality of ready-to-eat products. Eggplants are consumed as fresh-cut vegetables, which represent an increasing consumption rate. To extend the shelf life of the product, combination treatments have been proposed to inhibit the browning index (BI). Moreover, the storage temperature (4, 16, 25 °C), the concentration of ascorbic acid (AA) (1, 2, 3, and 4 g/L), and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (MAP-1, O2: 80 Kpa + CO2: 0 Kpa; MAP-2, O2: 5 Kpa + CO2: 15 Kpa; MAP-3, O2: 10 Kpa + CO2: 10 Kpa; MAP-4, O2: 15 Kpa + CO2: 5 Kpa; MAP-5, O2: 0 Kpa + CO2: 80 Kpa) are screened through the BI of fresh-cut eggplant. Then, the effect of AA combined with MAP on the BI, phenolic content, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) of fresh-cut eggplants is investigated over four days. In particular, two different areas of fresh-cut eggplant with seed and without seed were chosen to measure the BI. The result shows that the proper temperature (16 °C) maintains the BI of fresh-cut eggplant with seed during two days through screening. The screening of AA demonstrates that AA of 2 g/L is the better concentration to protect the color of fresh-cut eggplant with seed and without seed. AA of 2 g/L shows lower BI for fresh-cut eggplant with seed and without seed in MAP-2, MAP-3, MAP-4. The combination of AA (2 g/L) and MAP-2 significantly inhibited the browning of fresh-cut eggplants with seed. The application of AA (2 g/L) combined with MAP-2 inhibits the PPO and total phenol content activity over two and three days. Taken together, using AA combined with MAP may constitute a potential approach for maintaining the quality and inhibiting the browning of fresh-cut eggplants.