Jarusiri Wongkum. Study of Browning Inhibition of Sweet Corn Kernel in Brine Packed in Flexible or Semi-rigid Container. Master's Degree(Food Engineering). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library.. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2009.
Study of Browning Inhibition of Sweet Corn Kernel in Brine Packed in Flexible or Semi-rigid Container
Abstract:
Browning of sweet corn kernels in brine during storage takes place when the kernels are
packed in semi-rigid containers instead of cans. This study investigated the effects of
oxygen and storage temperature on browning of sweet corn in brine packed in retortable
carton. The work was divided into 2 parts. The first part was concerned with the effect
of oxygen content initially present in the headspace on product the quality, as indicated
by the change in color (CIE L *, a* and b*) and the total soluble phenolics content. The
amounts of residual oxygen in the headspace as well as dissolved oxygen were also
determined. The second part of the study investigated the effect of storage temperature
(30 and 40 C) on the product quality in terms of color, browning index and 2,5-
dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3[2H]-furanone (DMHF) content. It was found that rapid losses of
color and total soluble phenolics occurred in the case of a sample containing maximum
02 content (no air removal step was applied) as compared to a sample with minimum O2
content (with the use of steam flow followed by N2 flushing). Evolutions of browning
index and DMHF content of whole sweet corn kernels during storage showed no
significant differences between samples stored at both storage temperatures. It could be
concluded that autooxidation of phenolics was the major cause of browning of sweet
corn in brine when it was packed in semi-rigid containers. The reaction might take place
during an initial stage of processing and continued under the influence of storage
temperature. The color formation due to Maillard reaction in the low acidity range (PH
5-7) might also be developed but at a slower rate with the majority of pigmentation
resulting from phenolics oxidation.