• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1284-1290
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial activity and shelf-life extension effect of iceberg lettuce packed in BN/PE film. The BN/PE film has a strong microbial suppression effect on pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, and S. typhimurium. The number of psychrophiles and mesophiles during 5 days of cold storage of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce at $10^{\circ}C$ packaged in BN/PE film was strictly suppressed in comparison with other tested films (OPP, PE, and PET film). When fresh processed iceberg lettuce was processed and stored under the current conditions, the shelf-life of the product was longer than 5 days in the BN/PE film package, whereas the shelf-life when using the other films tested, PE, OPP and PET, was no longer than 3-4 days. The decay rates of the iceberg lettuce packed in the BN/PE film was maintained at $29.8{\pm}2.1%$ on the 5th day of preservation. The samples packed in BN/PE film maintained an excellent visual quality during the 3 days of storage without significant differences in comparison with the initial visual quality. No browning was observed in the samples packed in BN/PE film for up to 3 days. The texture of shredded iceberg lettuce packaged in BN/PE film remained unchanged up to 3 days, and then a moderate decrease in texture was observed after 4 days of storage. In addition, the overall acceptability of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce packaged in BN/PE film did not change for up to 3 days, whereas the samples packaged in the other films were inedible by 3 days of storage. In conclusion, the shelf-life of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce packaged in the BN/PE film was extended to more than 5 days at $10^{\circ}C$, whereas that in the other films was 2 days at $10^{\circ}C$. Therefore, the shelf-life extension effect of the fresh-cut iceberg lettuce in BN/PE film packaging was very effective compared with the other films tested.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2008

This study was performed in an effort to standardize the quality of fresh-cut products. Here, consumers' perceptions of fresh-cut products were surveyed to determine the quality factors in preparing quality standards for fresh-cut products. According to the surveys, freshness was the most important factor for consumers when choosing fresh-cut products at the market. Secondary indicators of good quality, i.e., "sensory qualities," were determined to be vibrant color, clean taste, nice feel, neat presentation, etc., as well as knowledge of whether it was organically grown. Off-odors decreased a product's marketability. Likewise, the more wilted or brown it appeared, the less a product was desired. From the results, the quality control indices for fresh-cut products were derived as freshness, discoloration, off-flavor, uniformity, prohibition of adulteration by alien substances, packaging and labeling. The quality of fresh-cut lettuce samples was measured against three storage temperatures: $20^{\circ}C,\;10^{\circ}C$ and $5^{\circ}C$. Sensory quality evaluations revealed the following: produce stored at $20^{\circ}C$ lost its marketability in less than one day; produce stored at $10^{\circ}C$ lost its marketability in less than two days; on the other hand, produced stored at $5^{\circ}C$, maintained its marketability for six days. At these respective points, browning started to occur around cut areas, and increased gradually once it began. Vitamin C content decreased with storage time, but storage at $5^{\circ}C$ maintained vitamin content the longest duration. Finally, further examinations were performed on the sensory qualities of fresh-cut lettuce samples at four levels of increased browning. Up to the third level, the product score for marketability was 5.6.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.829-834
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to determine the minimum enrichment time for different types of food matrix (pork, beef, and fresh-cut lettuce) in an effort to improve Escherichia coli detection efficiency. Fresh pork (20 g), beef (20 g), and fresh-cut lettuce (20 g) were inoculated at 1, 2, and 3 Log CFU/g of Escherichia coli. Samples were enriched in filter bags for 3 or 5 h at $44.5^{\circ}C$, depending on sample type. E. coli cell counts in the samples were enriched in E. coli (EC) broth at 3 or 5 h. One milliliter of the enriched culture medium was used for DNA extraction, and PCR assays were performed using primers specific for uidA gene. To detect E. coli (uidA) in the samples, a 3-4 Log CFU/mL cell concentration was required. However, E. coli was detected at 1 Log CFU/g in fresh pork, beef, and fresh-cut lettuce after 5, 5, and 3-h enrichment, respectively. In conclusion, 5-h enrichment for fresh meats and 3-h enrichment for fresh-cut lettuce in EC broth at $44.5^{\circ}C$, and PCR analysis using uidA gene-specific primers were appropriate to detect E. coli rapidly in food samples.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-177
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• 2012

Whole apples were cut with a sharp or dull knife, and whole cabbages and crisp lettuce heads were cut into salad or thin strips with a knife or by hand. The fresh-cut apples, cabbages, and lettuce were packed in low-density polyethylene bags and kept at $4^{\circ}C$, and their qualities were investigated. Browning and softening of the apples that were cut with a sharp knife were more delayed than those of the apples that were cut with a dull knife. The soluble solids and pH of the fresh-cut apples were not affected by the sharpness of the cutting blade. The browning indexes of the fresh-cut cabbages and lettuce were significantly lower in the samples that were cut with a knife than by hand and in the samples that were cut into large pieces. The results suggest that the cutting blade sharpness, cutting tools, and cut types affected the quality of the fresh-cut apples and leafy vegetables, and that the cutting methods which minimized the cutting damage should be used to retard the browning and softening of the produce.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.568-572
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) in combination with BN/PE film on the shelf life and quality of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce during cold storage. The total mesophilic population in the sample packed in BN/PE film under MAP conditions was dramatically reduced in comparison with that of PE film, PE film under MAP conditions, and BN/PE film. The $O_2$ concentration in the BN/PE film under MAP conditions decreased slightly as the storage period progressed. The coloration of the iceberg lettuce progressed the slowest when it was packaged in BN/PE film under MAP conditions, followed by BN/PE film, PE film, and PE film under MAP conditions. The shelf life of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce packaged in the BN/PE film under MAP conditions was extended by more than 2 days at $10^{\circ}C$ as compared with that of the BN/PE film in which the extension effect was more than 2 days longer than that of PE, PET, and OPP films.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.827-833
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• 2017

This study was investigated the effects of various commercial sanitizers on microbial characteristics in fresh-cut iceberg lettuce during storage. For screening sanitizer, lettuce was cut and dipped in chlorine water ($0.2ml{\cdot}L^{-1}$), solution of organic acids such as ascorbic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, mixture of ascorbic acid and acetic acid (1-6%), and solutions of commercial sanitizers such as Formula 4$^{TM}$ (1,3,4%), Fresh produce wash$^{TM}$ (1,3,4%), Cleancol$^{TM}$ (1%), Chitochol$^{TM}$ (1%) and Natural Ca$^{TM}$ (0.1%) for 3 min, respectively. Washing lettuce with selected sanitizers resulted in reduction of aerobic bacteria of more than 2 log CFU/g. Initial pH of lettuce was related with the pH of sanitizers. pH ranged from 4.7 to 6.1 in Formula 4 (4%, pH 1.7) and Natural Ca (0.1%, pH 12.0), respectively. Chlorine water showed consistent and significant inhibition effect in all of microorganisms except total coliform. Over 3% of Formula 4 and Fresh produce wash were found to have high bactericidal activity among sanitizers. The sanitizers of chlorine water, Fresh produce wash, Chitochol and Natural Ca were effective in reducing yeast and mould populations. As coliform and E. coli, Formula 4 (4%) showed the highest bactericidal activity. The bactericidal effect of commercial sanitizers during storage varied with the kinds and concentrations of tested sanitizers. Although inhibition effect was not showed during storage, these results suggest that commercial sanitizers could be an alternative to chlorine for washing fresh-cut produce.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.295-303
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• 2007

As a result of life-style changes, consumer's concerns of food have shifted from calories and nutrition to health and convenience. Fresh-cut products are one such new direction for fruit and vegetable consumption. In this study, the vitamin C, mineral, and pesticide contents of various fresh-cut products were analyzed. According to sensory evaluations, the key reason for a lower than expected overall acceptability of many fresh-cut products is that they are likely to have browning and can easily lose their freshness. Also, the sensory evaluation showed that shriveling, the degree of browning, softening around the cut edge, and off-flavors were the primary factors affecting the quality of fresh-cut products. As a nutritional factor of quality, vitamin C content was not practical with regard to fresh-cut lettuce because the level was very low. For product safety, residual pesticides were detected in the fresh-cut products, but the results showed that all items were under permitted levels and considered safe. In evaluation of the microbial levels of the fresh-cut market products, the levels of viable cells, mold, yeast, coliform bacteria, and enterobacteriaceae were not significantly different based on the summer and winter seasons. The levels of S. aureus and Listeria spp. in the products were higher during the summer season than the winter.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2018

This study investigated the effect of different $O_2$ transmission rate (OTR) of films on surface temperature, weight loss, pH, $O_2$, $CO_2$ and sensory characteristics, microbial quality, total phenolic contents and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging activity of fresh-cut lettuce during storage at $10^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. $80{\pm}5g$ of fresh-cut lettuce were packaged with oriented polypropylene films respectively. The OTR of packaging materials was 5,000, 8,000 and $10,000cc/m^2{\cdot}day{\cdot}atm$. Quality characteristics showed significant differences during storage. The surface temperature was averaged 13 and lower in higher OTR of films. The weight loss of lettuce ranged from 2.8 to 5.4% and the highest loss showed in $5,000cc/m^2{\cdot}day{\cdot}atm$ of film. pH was increased during storage and the highest pH was found in $5,000cc/m^2{\cdot}day{\cdot}atm$. The $O_2$ content in the packaging was decreased with increasing $CO_2$ content during storage. The lowest $CO_2$ was found in $10,000cc/m^2{\cdot}day{\cdot}atm$. As OTR was decreased, antioxidant profile of lettuce was decreased. Total aerobic bacteria showed from 5.48 to 6.59 log CFU/g. From the result of the overall sensory test, the marketability of fresh-cut lettuce stored at $10^{\circ}C$ seemed to be maintained effectively over 5 days.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2013

The effect of phytoncide solution treatment on the browning and quality of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce during storage was studied. The treatments were applied as four solutions adjusted at $10^{\circ}C$: distilled water (DW) as the control; edible ethanol (EE); 1% (v/v) phytoncide essential oil from pine needle diluted with distilled water (DP); and 1% (v/v) phytoncide essential oil diluted with edible ethanol (EP). Fresh-cut lettuce was dipped in each solution for 60 sec, was rinsed with distilled water, was packaged with an OPP film bag, and was then stored at $4^{\circ}C$ for 12 days. The EP group had a significantly high level of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and carbon dioxide, and low total bacteria counts, pH, and oxygen. The sensory score of color in the EP group recorded a high value, but the EE and EP groups recorded low scores in aroma and taste during the storage period. Alcohol and phytoncide were vaporized by opening the package for two hours, and the score of the aroma and taste of EP showed no differences from those of the other groups. Based on the above results, it was determined that the phytoncide essential oil diluted in edible alcohol with 1% solution inhibited the browning of and microbial growth in fresh-cut lettuce, and will be a useful natural compound in maintaining the quality of fresh-cut produce.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of harvest seasons on quality and microbial population at different steps of production chain of fresh-cut iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuces harvested in May, June, July, October, and December were processed following industrial practices, and stored at $5^{\circ}C$ for 9 days. For microbial measurement, samples were taken from each of the following steps: harvest, transport, pretreatment, cutting, 1st-washing, 2nd-washing, and day 3, 6, and 9 of storage. Iceberg lettuce cultivated in protect house and harvested in May and October showed higher $CO_2$ levels in the packages and electrolyte leakages than lettuce harvested in June, July and December. Microbial population of raw materials harvested in July was highest (6.76 log), and microbial growth rate during storage was highest in samples harvested in May. Lettuce harvested in June had better quality and microbial safety compared to other lettuces. Although lettuce harvested in October and December had less microbial population in either raw materials or processed products, those samples had inferior quality due to off-odor development and severe browning. Therefore, it is required to maintain quality and ensure microbial safety to distribute fresh-cut lettuce with high quality and safety throughout the year.