Reduction of browning of minimally processed artichoke hearts treated by GRAS molecules

The edible part of globe artichoke (heart), is rich in phenolic compounds and makes it a source of nutraceuticals molecules to prevent damages of free radicals. On the other hand, the PPO enzyme activity is the main factor causing browning in head tissue, reducing the shelf life of capitula, subjected to minimal processing. Up to now the main molecules used to inhibit browning in minimally processed hearts is sodium bisulphite. This salt could be eliminated using adequate treatment and Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) molecules. In this work, we report the data of browning phenomena of minimally processed artichoke hearts treated by the combination of pre-Treatments and GRAS molecules. Two genotypes were used: 'Violetto di Provenza' (VP) and 'Apollo' (Ap). For each genotype, the heads were processed to obtain the hearts. Hearts were subjected to a pre-Treatment: dipping in a solution at 0°C of sodium hypochlorite at 0.5% (v/v) for 30 min, followed by immersion in a solution of ascorbic acid (2.5% v/v) and citric acid (5% v/v) (AA+CA) at room temperature for 30 min. Dried hearts were sealed in polypropylene food bags and stored at 4±1°C for 24 days. At harvest and every 4 days of chilling storage, on 3 bags, hearts weight (g) and respiration process (O2/CO2) were determined. At every sampling, a congruous number of hearts were cutted longitudinally and colour (L*, a*, b*) was monitored by a colorimeter on the cutted surface. All data have been compared to a control, consisting in VP and Ap hearts stored only with sodium hypochlorite treatment. The GRAS treatment decreased the respiration process and the weight loss mainly in Ap hearts. The L* value, recorded on the cutted surface of the hearts resulted higher in VP during the whole storage period.