Effect of mixed natural extract treatment on quality characteristics of fresh-cut lettuce during storage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of fresh-cut lettuce after a washing treatment with differing concentrations of mixed natural extract. Five different treatments were employed: distilled water, sodium hypochlorite (Cl), 20% mixed natural extract (Na-1), 60% mixed natural extract (Na-3), and 100% mixed natural extract (Na-5). Measurements of carbon dioxide concentration, enzymatic activities, total aerobic bacteria, and sensory evaluation were investigated on day 1, 2, 3, and 5 at 5℃. The CO ₂ concentration in lettuce treated with Cl was significantly higher than that in other samples on day 5, and it remained generally low during the storage period in that treated with Na-5. The enzymatic activities (POD (peroxidase) and PAL (phenylalanine ammonia lyase) activities) in lettuce treated with Na-5 and Na-3 were low during the storage, and were significantly higher in lettuce treated with Cl than that in other samples on day 5. Total aerobic microbial count increased during storage, specifically on day 5, and was 6.53±0.08 log CFU/g in lettuce treated with Cl, while those in lettuce treated with Na-5 was 6.22±0.18 log CFU/g and significantly different. In case of sensory evaluation, there was no significant difference between the washing treatments in off flavor and smell. Color and overall acceptability in Na-5 was higher than that treated with Cl. The results revealed that the washing treatment of mixed natural extracts primarily containing rosemary extracts could be used to wash fresh-cut lettuce.