This study was conducted to investigate the quality of kimchi cabbages stored under a pallet unit-controlled atmosphere (PUCA), containing 2% O2 and 5% CO2, and to develop quality prediction models for cabbages stored under such conditions. Summer and winter cabbage samples were divided into PUCA-exposed groups and atmospheric airexposed control groups (in a cold storage). The control summer cabbages lost up to 8.31% of their weight, whereas the PUCA-exposed summer cabbages lost only 1.23% of their weight. Additionally, PUCA storage effectively delayed the reduction in cabbage moisture content compared with the control storage. After storage for 60 and 120 days of the summer and winter samples, respectively, the reducing sugar contents were higher in the PUCA groups than in the control groups. The linear regression analysis-derived equations for predicting the storage period, weight loss, and moisture content in the control groups, as well as those for predicting the storage period and weight loss in the PUCA groups, were appropriate according to the adjusted coefficient of determination, root mean square error, accuracy factor, and bias factor values. Therefore, this PUCA system would be useful for improving the shelf life of the postharvest summer and winter cabbages used in the commercial kimchi industry.

Chinese cabbage is produced and consumed as a main material for kimchi and as a staple vegetable in Korea throughout the year. However, due to environmental changes unbalance between supply and demand is repeated annually, requiring development of long-term storage technologies. Chinese cabbages, were harvested, put in plastic boxes, and precooled at 2oC for 24 hours using forced air precooler. After precooling, Chinese cabbages were MAP-treated with 0.02 mm HDPE film and functional film and stored at low temperature (1±0.5oC). The weight-loss rates after 9-weeks of storage were 8.47% in the control group, 4.07% in the HDPE film-treated group, and 3.07% in the functional film-treated group, respectively, suppressing weight loss. Trimming loss rate after 6-weeks of storage was 6.86% in the functional film MAP-treated group and lower than 7.50% in the control group. In the sensory test with 7 points as the limit of commodity, the control group lost it after 6-weeks of storage while the MAP-treated groups retained over 7 points. The functional film MAP-treated group showed over 6 points for processing as kimchi until 9-weeks of storage, proving that Pallet-type MAP storage is effective for extending storage life of spring Chinese cabbage.