JPH0767528A - Freshness retention of vegetables and fruits - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To retain the freshness of a wide range of vegetables and fruits by a ready method. CONSTITUTION:The freshness of a fruit or a vegetable is retained by covering or packaging the fruit or the vegetable with a non-closed type packaging material containing hinokitiol or a hinokitiol inclusion compound in a state in which the outside air is brought into contact with a part or the whole of the fruit or the vegetable, and by utilizing mainly the sublimability of hinokitiol.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for maintaining freshness of fruits and vegetables using hinokitiol.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Food storage methods are extremely diverse, depending on the type and form of food. For example, a method of mixing food preservatives such as preservatives and bactericides with food, a method of immersing food in these agents, a vacuum storage method excluding air in the food storage environment, a gas replacement method of air with carbon dioxide or nitrogen Alternatively, a method of filling alcohol vapor has been put into practical use.

[0003]

The method of mixing a drug or the like into food or immersing the food in the drug is not only restricted by the influence of the drug itself, but also restricted by the type of food. Particularly, fruits and vegetables, especially vegetables and the like cannot be mixed with a drug, and fruits and mushrooms are discolored or damaged quickly by the drug or solvent.

Also, as is well known, when fruits and vegetables are stored in open air, contamination often starts due to the growth of fallen bacteria, and they are mainly decomposed from the surface. Exceptionally, in leafy vegetables, the leaf part of the leaf part has a firm cell membrane and does not allow the growth of fallen bacteria shortly after harvesting, but the cells of the petiole section cut at the time of harvesting are destroyed and the juice leaches out. Then, the microorganisms are in a state where they can easily grow. Therefore, in the case of leafy vegetables, the cutting surface often decomposes from the shaft to the inside.

[0005] Therefore, although various packaging techniques such as a vacuum packaging method and a gas replacement method have been studied and implemented in various ways such as the influence of bacteria in the air and the suppression of bacterial growth by removing oxygen, special equipment is required. In the present situation, however, the sufficient effect cannot be obtained, and the packaging form is limited to the closed type. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a method that can be applied to the preservation of a wide range of fruits and vegetables by a simple method.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive research based on the above-mentioned requirements, the inventors of the present invention have suppressed the growth of microorganisms and adsorbed safe substances to various packaging materials,
Focusing on the coating and packaging of fruits and vegetables, further studies have been carried out, and it has been found that hinokitiol and an inclusion compound of hinokitiol as a safety substance bring extremely good results, and completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention is a non-sealing type packaging material containing hinokitiol or an inclusion compound of hinokitiol, which covers or wraps all or part of fruits and vegetables in a state where it can be ventilated to the outside air, and mainly sublimates hinokitiol. It is characterized by keeping the freshness of fruits and vegetables by utilizing sex.

The preferred hinokitiols used in the present invention are natural hinokitiol, hinokitiol-cyclodextrin inclusion compound, for example, hinokitiol-β-cyclodextrin inclusion compound. Further, the packaging material containing the hinokitiol is preferably a non-sealed type, for example, paper, non-woven fabric, cloth,
A synthetic resin film or a cardboard box is preferable.

The non-sealing type packaging material may be incorporated with the hinokitiols by impregnating, adsorbing or supporting the packaging material by a conventional method such as spraying, dipping or coating.

The preservation effect of fruits and vegetables, that is, the freshness-preserving effect of the packaging material containing the hinokitiol compounds as described above, can be obtained as follows. First, for fruits and vegetables having a cut surface such as leaf vegetables, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of hinokitiol directly acts by simply sticking the above-mentioned packaging material on the cut surface, so that a sufficient effect can be obtained. Also, without directly contacting the fruits and vegetables, for example, by placing them on the fruits and vegetables, laying them under the fruits and vegetables, or putting the fruits and vegetables in a container and packaging them with the packaging material containing the container, the freshness preservation effect of the fruits and vegetables can be improved. can get. In this case, the fruits and vegetables packaged with the above-mentioned packaging material do not need to be sealed with another packaging material, and it is sufficient if they are placed in a state where they can be ventilated with the outside air.

In particular, the freshness-maintaining effect of fruits and vegetables in a non-contact state is derived from the sublimability inherent in hinokitiols. That is, in the portion where the containing packaging material is not in direct contact with the fruits and vegetables, the hinokitiol content is gradually evaporated, and the hinokitiol gas wraps the whole fruits and vegetables,
This suppresses the growth of microorganisms and bacteria that adhere to the surface of fruits and vegetables.

Regarding the sublimability of hinokitiol, the rate of sublimation differs between natural hinokitiol and inclusion compounds of hinokitiol, and the inclusion compounds of hinokitiol have slower sublimation properties. Therefore, among fruits and vegetables, natural hinokitiol with fast sublimation is effective for mold and rot that develop quickly, and hinokitiol-packaging is effective for mold and rot that develop slowly and can be stored for a long time. The clathrate is more effective. In other words, which one should be used may be selected depending on the storage target.

[0013]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Reference Example) Method for Producing Cyclodextrin Inclusion Compound of Hinokitiol 1521.0 mg of β-cyclodextrin (Celdex N, manufactured by Nippon Food Processing Co., Ltd.) was dissolved in 80 ml of water by stirring to dissolve 219.8 mg of hinokitiol. When added and heated to about 60 ° C. and stirred, a uniform suspension was obtained. This mixed solution was left in a refrigerator at 5 ° C for 48 hours, and then mixed with 400 ml of acetone at -35 ° C while stirring. The liquid temperature rose to about -28 ° C. Immediately, the precipitate was separated and collected by vacuum filtration and dried under reduced pressure in a vacuum desiccator for 1 hour. The obtained inclusion compound was powdered in a mortar, dissolved in water, and the hinokitiol in the inclusion compound was measured by ultraviolet absorption (245 nm). The molar ratio was about 1: 1 (1: 0.94). An inclusion compound was obtained. Yield 1568.5 mg (0.120 mg of hinokitiol contained in 1 Kg).

(Example 1) Storage of lettuce Paper towels were cut into 5 cm x 5 cm pieces, and five pieces were instantaneously immersed in 10 ml of a 100 ppm concentration of hinokitiol-β-cyclodextrin clathrate compound aqueous solution and pulled up at 40 ° C. It was air dried. Lettuce 5 just after collection
The above-mentioned hinokitiol-treated paper towels were attached to the respective cut edges one by one. 5cm x 5cm as a control
Each piece of uncut hinokitiol-untreated paper was attached to five cut lettuce cuts.

Both of them were placed in corrugated cardboard, stored in a ventilated state at 25 ° C. All the 5 lettuce of the control group became brown from the 3rd day, and liquefied so that the prototype was hardly retained on the 6th day, whereas all 5 lettuce were treated on the 6th day until the 19th day. Almost the same as at the start of the color and shape test, 1 to 3 brown spots appeared on 2 out of 5 on the 20th day, and only a few spots appeared on all 5 on the 24th day. Appeared. However, this also remained on the outermost leaves (2 or 3 leaves), and if this was removed, the inside was unchanged and edible.

(Example 2) Preservation of broccoli A rayon nonwoven fabric was impregnated with 150 mg of hinokitiol per square meter, and then the solvent alcohol was evaporated and air dried. Styrofoam box (36.5 cm x 28 cm x
25 cm) with 6 pieces of broccoli, and put a non-woven fabric containing hinokitiol cut from the top according to the box opening,
The container was covered with air in a ventilable state, and stored at 20 ° C. to be treated. The control plot was filled with the same number of broccoli without any treatment and stored under the same conditions.

Observation of yellowing and mold development in both plots over time revealed that no yellowing or mold formation occurred in the treated plots from day 1 to day 5, but in the control plots on day 3 Although no mold was observed, yellowing occurred about 15%, and 4
Mold on the first day caused 30% of the yellowing, and on the fifth day, the mold increased and the yellowing was 70%.

Example 2 Storage of Strawberry 200 mg of hinokitiol was applied per 1 square meter of cellophane, air-dried, and cut into 22 cm × 17.5 cm pieces. Then, it was covered with cellophane tape and left at room temperature (treatment section). In the control section, ordinary polystyrene was covered on the strawberries packed in the pack and left at room temperature. The number of strawberries in the treated group was 21, and the number of strawberries in the control group was 22.

The generation of mold in both wards was observed day by day. In the treated ward, no mold was found at all from the 1st to the 4th day, and after the 5th day, only 1 mold was found. He just recognized the mold. On the other hand, in the control group, 2 out of 22 had molds on the 2nd day, 6 on the 3rd day, 9 on the 4th day, and 13 on the 5th day. Was there.

[0021]

As described above, according to the method of the present invention, the hinokitiol or the inclusion compound of hinokitiol impregnated in the non-sealing type packaging material acts directly or gradually on the fruits and vegetables to produce fruits and vegetables. It was possible to maintain the freshness of the product for a long time.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A non-encapsulated packaging material containing hinokitiol or an inclusion compound of hinokitiol, which covers or wraps all or part of fruits and vegetables in a state where it can be ventilated to the outside air, and mainly uses the sublimation property of hinokitiol. A method of maintaining freshness of fruits and vegetables, characterized by maintaining freshness of fruits and vegetables.