JP2849828B2 - How to keep freshness of harvested fruit - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for preserving freshness in a harvested fruit body for maintaining good quality during a period from its distribution process to over-the-counter sales at a retail stage.

Technological background Conventionally, various measures have been devised to prevent quality deterioration in the distribution process of melons, watermelons, and specific varieties of grapes that are rated as high-grade fruits, but satisfactory results have not yet been obtained. Not been. That is, in recent years, as a means of delaying the quality of the transport process in refrigerators and in-store sales as much as possible, the use of antioxidants and packaging materials called freshness preserving films has been carried out, but they have a sufficient freshening effect. It is the fact that is not obtained.

Incidentally, some imported fruit organisms from the United States and Southeast Asian countries use pesticides whose use is banned in Japan for the purpose of maintaining freshness, which is also a problem of international friction.

Problem to be Solved by the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above situation,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for maintaining freshness for maintaining the quality of a fruit living body having a fruit axis after harvesting over a long period of time using a specific silicate clay.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention is to apply and coat a soft porous highly silicified silicate clay on the fruit axis of fruit after harvest of fruits such as melon, watermelon, apple, citrus and grape. It is characterized by.

The soft porous highly silicified silicate clay (hereinafter abbreviated as silicate clay) used here is a 2: 1 montmorillonite-based clay mineral produced in Yazawagi, Akita Prefecture, and is found in what is called conventional zeolite. Due to its non-porous structure and rich swelling properties, it exhibits excellent adsorption and ion exchange capabilities and is used in various fields.

By the way, as seen in melon, the deterioration of quality of fruit organisms having a fruit axis during the distribution process or over-the-counter sales is caused by the generation of ethylene gas and hormones in the body tissues of the fruit to promote ripening. It is attributed to this.

According to the present invention, a cut surface (cut) at the time of harvesting on a fruit axis (before harvesting, the fruit axis connects a branch, a stem or a vine to a fruit body and serves as a pipe for nutrient supply). To apply the above silicate clay powder, or an ointment obtained by adding water thereto, and coat it with a material having a high ability to retain and impregnate moisture such as cotton, and to further prevent the evaporation of moisture. In addition, by coating with, for example, aluminum foil or the like, it is possible to maintain the freshness of the living tissue as if it were in a suspended state without interrupting the biological activity of the fruit.

Since the silicate clay used in the present invention has the above-mentioned functions, when it is applied to and covered with the fruit shaft as described above, the water is purified, and the deterioration and decay of water quality are prevented.
In other words, the impregnated water on the fruit axis generates an ionic colloidal solution by contact with the silicate clay, and this colloidal solution is translocated to the fruit body through the fruit axis to maintain the activity of the living tissue, thereby improving the quality freshness. It is presumed that it can be retained.

Incidentally, the impregnated moisture modified into the above-mentioned colloidal solution contains a mineral component in an effective form flowing out of the silicate clay, but does not promote fermentation because it does not contain a fertilizer component.

In the case of fruit organisms such as melon and watermelon, it is preferable to cut not only the fruit axis but also a part of the vine connected to the axis during harvesting from the tree. The powder may be rubbed in or hydrated to form an ointment and applied, and then coated as described above.

The coating after the application of the silicate clay is preferably in the case of melon, watermelon, etc., as described above, coated with a material having a high water-impregnating and retaining ability, such as cotton, to prevent evaporation of water. It is better to cover the top with an aluminum foil formed in a cylindrical shape and close the opening with a thin string.

In citrus fruits such as apples and tangerines, the fruit axis is woody, and the fruit axis of cherry is also small but woody, so silicate clay is applied by the following method,
It may be coated.

After developing a rectangular cut cotton of an appropriate size, place a powder of silicate clay in the center in the form of a stripe, then wrap the cut cotton and add water to a cotton swab. When fully infiltrated, the silicate clay at the center of the cut cotton becomes an ointment. By inserting the tip of the fruit axis (or fruit pattern) of apples, citrus fruits and cherries into a cotton swab having the ointment-like silicate clay built-in, an injury is applied to the fruit axis of the above-mentioned fruit living body. , Coated.

In this way, when the cut surface of the fruit axis of the harvested fruit body is rubbed with a powder of silicate clay or coated with an ointment obtained by adding the powder to the powder, the fruit before harvest is coated. The biological activity of the living body is similar to the operation of living tissue in which tree nutrient solution is translocated into the fruit through its fruit axis,
It is as if they were being performed in a state of asphyxia. That is, the silicate clay impregnated with water forms an ionic colloidal solution as described above, and the colloidal solution is translocated to the fruit body as a substitute for the tree nutrient solution to maintain the activity of the living tissue for a certain period of time. It is presumed that it is possible to maintain the quality freshness.

Hereinafter, the present invention and its effects will be specifically described with reference to examples.

Example 1 A tree (vine) with Amsmeron attached to both parts of the vine and the fruit axis (total length of about 40 to 05 mm) connected to it
Then, a small amount of water was added to silicate clay to form an ointment, and the cut surface was thickly applied. The whole surface was wrapped with aluminum foil, wound around a vine with a string, and covered.
The asmmelon thus obtained was allowed to stand at room temperature, but the freshness was preserved even after 8 to 10 days from the harvest, and no deterioration in quality was observed at all.

By the way, in the case of asmmelon not subjected to the above treatment, the color of the cut end of the vine browned with the loss of water after one to one and a half days, at most two days after harvest, and the freshness was remarkably reduced.

Example 2 A watermelon was cut with a part of a vine in the same manner as in Example 1, the cut surface was rubbed with powder of silicate clay, and water-containing cotton was coated thereon. It was covered with aluminum foil formed into a cylindrical shape and sealed with a thin string. The watermelon obtained in this manner did not show a decrease in freshness even after 10 to 12 days from the harvest, and was good in both quality and flavor.

Example 3 A large number of cotton swabs were prepared by spreading cut cotton, applying a powder of silicate clay to the center of the cut cotton and winding the cotton into a swab. Insert the tip of the fruit axis (fruit pattern) one after another,
It was stored in a predetermined container and the state of the change with time was examined.

As a result, the extension of the shelf life for 3 to 5 days was surely observed as compared with the untreated one. In addition, when the cherry fruit body was swallowed in the mouth and chewed, it felt as hard as a fresh fruit.

Example 4 Daily changes in the fruit axis of the grape after the harvest were treated in the same procedure as described in Example 3 were examined.
Even after 8 days of harvest, the fruit axis portion remained bright green, and no quality deterioration was observed. In the case of the non-treated one, 1.5 to 2 days after harvest, or the fruit axis part showed browning close to black. In addition, the fruit body became loose and began to soften.

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for maintaining the freshness of a harvested fruit organism, which comprises coating the cut surface of the fruit axis of the harvested fruit organism with a soft porous highly silicified silicate clay. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fruit living body is a melon or a watermelon, and the fruit shaft portion includes a part of a vine connected to the fruit shaft. . 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating is carried out by coating with cotton and further covering with a tubular body of aluminum foil. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the soft porous highly silicified silicate clay is made into an ointment by adding powder to water.