Effect of Ozone Concentration On Cooling Kinetics and Quality of Tomato

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and shorter shelf life. Pre-cooling removes the field heat and help in maintaining shelf life of fresh produces. Ozone presented high antimicrobial that utilized in hydrocooling has been proposed. In the present study, different ozone concentration (0.2,0.6, and 1.5 PPM) on hydrocooling process of tomato was investigated. Ozone was generated using ozone generator and dissolved in chilled water. The investigation included the comparison of cooling kinetics, microbial inactivation and quality of tomato during the storage. Microbial analysis during hydrocooling reduce the E coli load of 106 to no detectable limit. SEM analysis revealed the no changes in tomato pericarp microstructure during hydrocooling process. Based on results of experiment, it was observed that ozone concertation significantly (p<0.05) higher cooling rate when compared with conventional room cooling. The storage study of treated tomato demonstrated lower weight loss, and higher phenolic compounds. This study indicates that ozone can effectively reduce the microbial load of tomato during cooling and maintain the shelf life of tomato during storage.