earticle

영어

The storage quality of fresh buckwheat sprouts, as influenced by pretreatment and packaging within processing steps, was investigated to establish appropriate postharvest handling treatment for the commodity. After harvest, the sprouts were dipped in chlorine water (100 ppm), rinsed twice with clean water, pre-cooled with iced water, de-watered, and packed in plastic trays. Sprout samples taken from each processing step were stored at 5oC for 6 days to measure quality attributes. Viable cell counts of mesophilic aerobes and coliform bacteria were lower by about 1 log scale in the postharvest treated samples compared to an untreated control, although the initial microbial reduction due to the postharvest treatments was offset by cell growth during storage. All sprout samples showed a decrease of fresh weight by approximately 4% after 6 days of storage. However, moisture and soluble solid contents were maintained at the initial levels of the sprouts. No significant difference in surface color was observed among sample treatments. For sensory properties including discoloration, wilting, decay, and visual quality, there were no significant differences among sample treatments. The present results suggest that proper postharvest processing treatments can exert positive effects on extending the shelf-life of fresh buckwheat sprout.