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    Microbial Status of Fresh Cut Cooking Banana Variety Alukesel (Musa acuminata× Musa balbisiana, ABB Group) as Affected by Pre-treatments
    (2016) Siriwardana, H.; Abeywickrama, K.P.; Herath, I.
    Fresh cut (minimally processed) cooking banana variety Alukesel was subjected to different pretreatments, packed in polystyrene packages and stored at 5-7 °C for a week. Effect of several identified pre-treatments on Total Plate Count (TPC) and Total Yeast and Mould counts (TYM) were evaluated. Bacteria isolated from plates were identified using biochemical tests and molecular tools. In pre-treated samples, microbial counts were within safe-to-consume limits. Bacillus cereus, Enterobacter ludwigii and Bacillus thuringiensis were identified from fresh cut samples using molecular tools. Citric acid at 3% w/v effectively controlled bacteria, yeasts and moulds and this observation was significantly different from the control (p<0.05). The present study has shown that 3% citric acid was the most effective pretreatment for minimal processing of Alukesel which controlled bacteria, yeasts & moulds completely. Alukesel pretreated with 3% citric acid was free from food borne pathogens such as Salmonella, Clostridium, Yersinia, and Listeria.
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    Effect of pretreatments on quality of minimally processed cooking banana variety Alukesel (Musa acuminata * Musa balbisiana, ABB Group)
    (Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Siriwardana, H.; Abeywickrama, K.P.; Kannangara, S.
    Cooking banana is a vegetable which can be stored for longer periods in intact form but undergoes browning soon after slicing. A study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of selected pretreatments in maintaining quality of minimally processed cooking banana variety Alukesel. Minimally processed Alukesel was subjected to pretreatments of ascorbic acid (3%), citric acid (3%), ascorbic acid (2%), citric acid (2%), citric acid + ascorbic acid (1.5% each), sodium metabisulphite (2%) and distilled water (control), packed in polystyrene packages and stored at 5-70 C for a week. The effects of pretreatments on sensory and physicochemical properties (percentage weight loss, changes in firmness, pH, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and Titratable Acidity (TA)) were evaluated on day 0 and day 7, while browning was assessed using a spectrophotometric method. Pretreatments had a significant effect on physicochemical and sensory attributes of minimally processed cooking banana compared to control. Ascorbic acid (3%), citric acid (3%) and citric acid + ascorbic acid (1.5% each) pretreated cooking banana obtained higher ranking values for sensory properties (appearance, colour, odour, flavour, taste and overall acceptability) while the same three pretreatments and sodium metabisulphite (2%) pretreatment effectively controlled enzymatic browning. This research revealed that pretreatments of ascorbic acid (3%), citric acid (3%) and citric acid + ascorbic acid (1.5% each) were more successful in retaining quality of minimally processed cooking banana for one week in cold storage. It could be concluded that Alukesel treated as above can be considered as a potential value added sale item at local supermarkets where cold storage facility is available.