• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.644-651
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• 2007

To establish the optimum conditions for storing buttercup squash, we examined the effectiveness of several storage methods and the quality of the squash under various storage conditions, including temperature (12 and $20^{\circ}C$) and relative humidity (20, 40, 60, and 80%). The spoiling rate of the squash was affected more by the storage temperature than the relative humidity, and the squash stored at $20^{\circ}C$ started to be deteriorated after 20 days of storage. At $20^{\circ}C$, soluble solid content gradually increased until 20 days of storage, and then it tended to decrease. The L-value had a tendency to increase with days of storage, and the a- and b-value also increased after 40 days. In addition, the color changes were great when the squash was stored at high temperature and high relative humidity. The total pectin content increased until 20 days at $20^{\circ}C$, and then it decreased, but less change was observed in the squash stored at $12^{\circ}C$. Overall, the results showed that storage at $20^{\circ}C$ after field curing resulted in excessive weight loss, color loss and poor eating quality, as well as a high level of decay (approximately 70%) after 40 days. However, the squash stored at $12^{\circ}C$ and 60% RH (relative humidity) showed less degreening and had a reduced level of decay, below 10%.