This study was performed to determine the effects of the blanching condition (immersion ratio 1:15 (w/v) for 3 min at 95oC, and solution containing 1% sodium chloride) and selected forming agents (dextrin DE=10, dextrin DE=20, β-cyclodextrin; each forming agents added 5%) on the phytochemical compounds and quality characteristics of Ligularia fischeri leaves. The moisture was not affected by the forming agent. The color of a, b and chroma values were low in the blanching treatment groups and were significantly lowest with β-cyclodextrin (CD). The polyphenol and flavonoid contents in the blanching treatment groups were higher than those in the non-blanching-treatment group. The ascorbic acid content was higher in the non-blanching-treatment group and was significantly highest in the group treated with dextrin (DE=10) whereas the blanching treatment groups showed lower dehydroascorbic acid content than the non-blanching-treatment group. The water absorption was higher in the non-blanching-treatment group and was significantly highest in the group treated with CD. The water solubility in the blanching treatment groups treated with dextrin (DE=20) and CD was higher than that in the blanching treatment group treated with DE=10. The total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a and b contents were high in the blanching treatment group treated with CD, and for the total carotenoid contents, the same tendency as that seen with the chlorophyll content was observed. With regard to the particle diameter, those in the blanching treatment groups were lower than that in the non-blanching-treatment group and was significantly lowest in the blanching treatment groups treated with DE=20 and CD. The result of SEM observation showed that the spray-dried powders in blanching treatment groups treated with the DE=20 and CD forming agents had uniform particle distribution.

This study was performed in order to compare the changes in fruit quality and antioxidant activity depending on the ripeness degree of the banana flesh and peel (unripe, ripe, and over ripe) when stored at room temperature for 6 days. The moisture contents showed differences such as the significantly lower maturity in the over ripe fruit peel and the moisture content increase in the fruit flesh during ripening. During the maturity stage, the L and b values decreased, while the a value increased. During ripening, the titratable acidity (TA) decreased, while the soluble solids contents (SS), sugar acid ratio (SS/TA), total sugar, and reducing sugar contents increased, respectively. Also during ripening, the glucose and the fructose contents increased considerably, thus resulting in the decrease of the sucrose content. In addition, this study revealed that the phenolic substance, which was part of the fruit skin, showed more favorable reaction to radical ability than the fruit flesh. Furthermore, the DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and reducing power showed better reaction for the fruit skin than for the fruit flesh, and there was a significant increase in the antioxidative activity as a result of the higher levels of phenolic substance. Therefore, maturity played an important role in changing the chemical composition and physiological activity of a banana. The unripe peels could be used as antioxidant ingredients and they could also enhance the biological activity in the utilization of by-products.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of pretreatment and different packaging methods on the physicochemical properties of cold vacuum-dried peaches. All the dried peach samples were stored such as N2 gas substitution, vacuum and passive packaged with polyethylene (PE) film and oriented polypropylene (OPP)/aluminum (Al)/PE film at 40℃ for 50 days. The weight change, pH, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, soluble solid-acid ratio (SS/TA), delta E, browning degree and phenolic compounds were analyzed. The weight change and pH were lower in the 0.1% vitamin C-treated group and were significantly lowest in the vacuum-treated OPP/AL/PE. The soluble solids content and the SS/TA were higher in the non-treated groups than in the vitamin C-treated groups. According to the packaging methods, the L* values were higher in the vacuum, N2 gas and passive package, in that order. In addition, the browning degree and the delta E value were lower in the pretreated groups and significantly lowest in the vacuum-treated OPP/AL/PE with 0.1% vitamin C group. The phenolic compounds were high for the pretreated groups, according to the packaging methods (vacuum > N2 gas> passive), and the OPP/AL/PE was significantly higher than the PE. These results suggest that different packaging materials and pretreatment methods affected the quality of the dried peaches, and the vacuum- OPP/AL/PE film packaging group showed a high quality.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the pretreatment and infrared drying methods on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of dried peaches. The pretreatment methods were the 30 min treatment of NaCl, vitamin C, and soluble Ca (1:5 w/v immersion ratio), and leaving them untreated before infrared drying at 55℃ for 20 hr. The moisture content was lower in the pre-treated group and was significantly lowest in the 0.3% NaCl. The titratable acidity and soluble solid content and acid ratio (SS/TA) were high for the vitamin C and soluble Ca groups. The browning degree and cutting strength of the dried peach were lower in the pre-treated group. The total sugar content in the 0.3% NaCl group was significantly higher than those in the vitamin C and soluble Ca groups. The Ca contents were more effective in the soluble Ca treated group and increased with higher Ca concentration. The sensory evaluation results indicated that the organoleptic scores for the overall preference were higher in the 0.1% vitamin C treated group. The phenolic compounds and ABTS radical scavenging ability were high for the 0.1% vitamin C and 0.1% soluble Ca treated groups. These results suggest that pretreatment affected the qualities of the dried peaches, showing that infrared drying can be applied to the production of high quality dried peach products.

This study was conducted to evaluate the quality and anti-oxidant characteristics of different granule tea variants (WSMGT: granule tea prepared from sea mustard hot water extract; ASMGT: granule tea prepared from sea mustard autoclave extract; WSTGT: granule tea prepared from sea tangle hot water extract; and ASTGT: granule tea prepared from sea tangle autoclave extract) from sea tangle and sea mustard powder. The Color of WSTGT showed the highest L*, b* values, and the lowest a* value. The water absorption binding agents in ASMGT were higher than those in WSMGT, WSTGT. and ASTGT. Binding agents on water absorption in ASMGT were higher than those of WSMGT, WSTGT, and ASTGT. The alginic acid content of ASMGT was highest. The total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of ASMGT and ASTGT were highest. The electron donating ability and ferrous ion chelating activity in WSTGT greatly increased compared to those in the other granules tea variants. These results suggest that pressure extraction can be used in functional foods.

This study was conducted to investigate the pH, soluble solid contents, color difference, mineral contents, free sugar contents, and sensory quality of infrared- and cold-air-dried peaches. The pH, soluble solid contents, and free sugar contents of the infrared-dried peaches were higher than those of the cold-air-dried peaches. In the Hunter’s color value, the L and ΔE values of the infrared-dried peaches were higher than those of the cold-air-dried peaches; but the a and b values of the cold-air-dried peaches were higher than those of the infrared-dried peaches. The major organic acids of the dried peaches were citric acid, malic acid, and oxalic acid. The minerals with the highest to lowest contents, in that order, were K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Al. The mineral contents of the cold-air-dried peaches were higher than those of the infrared-dried peaches. The appearance and taste of the infrared-dried peaches were better than those of the cold-air-dried peaches. These results indicate that infrared drying is the effective drying method for the production of high-quality dried peaches.