Abstract
To investigate the effects of preheating treatment on the properties of salt-preserved cucumber, cucumber were heated in the warm water to 40, 60, and 75$^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. Thereafter, cucumbers were cooled and the ratios of cucumbers: water was adjusted to 1:1.2(w/w) and salt was added to have final salt concentration of 12%. The group which was heated to 6$0^{\circ}C$ showed the highest scores on hardness followed by 4$0^{\circ}C$, no-heat, and 75$^{\circ}C$ treated groups after 60 days of salt-preservation. The yellowness on the surface of cucumber peels was getting intense as temperature was increased during heat treatment, which resulted in the most intense yellowness in no-heat and 4$0^{\circ}C$ treated groups. The intensities of greeness and redness of the groups also differed according to different temperature applied during heat treatments. Regardless of heat treatment, no difference in the absorbance of isopropyl alcohol extracts were found. Activities of pectinesterase were the highest in 6$0^{\circ}C$ treated group followed by 4$0^{\circ}C$, 75$^{\circ}C$, and no-heat treated group until 60 days of preservation, while activities of polygalacturonase in 4$0^{\circ}C$ and 6$0^{\circ}C$ treated groups were lower.