Evaluation of Some Quality Parameters of Minimally Processed Violet and White-Type Cauliflowers

The impact of minimal processing technology on the shelf-life of Violet and White-type cauliflowers packaged in two different films was evaluated during 21 days of storage at 4°C. White cauliflower was characterized by a weight loss by 8% after 5 days of storage in the perforated film, as a result of moisture loss, while packaging in the permeable film was effective at reducing the weight loss to about 0.3%. For what concerns the Violet-type cauliflower, the weight loss in the perforated film exceeded 22% after 5 days, while it was limited to 0.3% in the permeable film. The colorimetric analysis on racemes did not reveal, for each cultivar, significant differences during storage, while important changes were observed on the cut surfaces of the White cultivar. The use of a perforated film allowed the headspace gas composition to remain at environmental levels throughout storage, while with the use of a permeable film, both cauliflower varieties reached a steady-state O2 level ranging from 11 to 13% and a CO2 level of 8.5% after 72 hours. Although the initial mesophilic bacteria counts in both cultivars were high, all the analyzed samples were in compliance with the recommended microbial limits of total plate counts (8 log cfu/g). Count values of moulds and yeasts reached the limit values (5 log cfu/g) after a few days of storage, especially for the White-type packaged in the perforated film, while a different behaviour was shown by Enterobacteriaceae, which evidenced a higher load throughout the considered storage period in samples packaged in the permeable film. The use of a non-perforated, permeable packaging determines a suitable atmosphere, limiting moisture loss. Violet cauliflower is more suitable for minimal processing due to the color stability on the cut surface area, however microbial quality of raw materials represents an essential condition for the shelf life extension.