Influence of storage atmosphere and temperature on quality evolution of cut Belgian endives

An optimal combination of O-2, CO2 and N-2 for storage of cut Belgian Endiv e was defined, investigating visual quality aspects. In the experiment al d esign principles of mixture theory were used. The acceptability of cut endi ves stored under different gas combinations, selected in the range where bo th CO2 and O-2 were varied between 2% and 18%, was evaluated by a consumer panel at different time intervals during storage. The response was modeled with a second-degree polynomial, the response surface pointed in the direct ion of a gas mixture 10% CO2, 10% O-2, and 80% N-2 for maximum acceptabilit y or best quality during storage. Repeated experiments, including different varieties from 2 different growers, confirmed the optimal gas concentratio n, (10% CO2, 10% O-2 and 80% N-2). In a second step, the effect of temperat ure on quality degradation of cut endives stored under optimal atmosphere c onditions, was quantified using the Arrhenius equation. An activation energ y of 16.3 kcal/mol was obtained.