Effects of blanching on microbial adhesion and hydrophobicity in fresh Brassica oleracea L.

João Paulo Natalino de Sá, Douglas Gonzaga dos Santos Teixeira, Francileuda Batista de Almeida, Maria Carmem Batista de Alencar, Patricio Borges Maracaja, Cesar Carlos Martins da Silva, Leonardo Souza do Prado Junior, Aline Carla de Medeiros

conservation, vegetables, minimally processed, inactivation, polyphenol oxidase.

Aiming to increase the collard greens (Brassica oleracea L.) shelf life, we assessed the inactivation of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in fresh vegetables subjected to four different times of blanching (2, 4, 6, and 8 minutes) at a constant temperature of 90ºC. We estimated the number of microorganisms (aerobic mesophiles, fungi, and yeasts) at the surface of fresh vegetables before and after blanching. Leaves blanched for 2 minutes showed the most significant reduction in microorganism adhesion (p<0.05). The blanching solution is a viable method to conserve fresh-cut collard, and do not affect the health of consumers.

10.22161/ijaers.5.6.39