Effects of Blanching Conditions and Salt Concentrations on the Quality Properties of Aster scaber

Abstract

This study investigated quality characteristics of Aster scaber (color; firmness; vitamin C, chlorophyll and phenolic contents; and sensory properties) under blanching conditions of /25 min, /16 min, and /6 min, and salt concentrations of 0%, 1% and 2%. The contents of vitamin C, chlorophyll and total phenolic compounds, and firmness decreased by 39.5-60.3%, 26.2-31.5%, 45.6-50.1% and 50.7-51.1%, respectively, after blanching. For these parameters, treatment with 1% salt was 7.1-30.2%, 9.2-12.2%, 35.9-52.0% and 2.7-6.8% relative to the control, and drip water could be prevented by 3.3-23.4%. Results for treatment with 2% salt were (respectively) 22.7-34.1%, 10.4-20.7%, 55.5-80.4% and 13.8-17.3%, and drip water could be prevented by 23.9-27.3%. These results showed that 2% salt treatment had a greater effect on preservation of quality characteristics than 1% treatment and the control. With respect to sensory evaluation, the 2% treatment had lower overall acceptability than the 1% treatment because of the saltier taste. However, the 1% treatment was more acceptable than the control. The optimal blanching condition was found to be /6 min and 1% salt.