Microbiological changes and quality characteristics of dried persimmon by chlorine dioxide gas fumigation treatment

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of chlorine dioxide fumigation as a substitute for sulfur fumigation which has been used as a method to prevent the quality change of persimmon during storage and distribution process. Dried persimmons were treated with chlorine dioxide gas concentration (0, 15 30, and 45 ppm) and time (0, 15, 30, and 45 min) and microbiological changes, texture properties and color of the treated samples were investigated during storage at room temperature. Total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold numbers after chlorine dioxide gas fumigation were decreased when compared with the control group. The inhibitory effects of total aerobic bacteria, yeast, and mold were observed during storage. The texture properties and color value of dried persimmons were not affected by chlorine dioxide gas fumigation concentration and time. There was no difference in quality between chlorine dioxide gas fumigation treatment group and control group. These results suggested that chlorine dioxide gas fumigation treatment can be utilized as a processing technique to secure microbiological storage stability of dried persimmons.