Browning inhibition and shelf life of packaged air-dried chestnut kernels

Air-dried chestnut is a traditional snack in northern China, but no standardized qual-ity control methods or commercial products are available. The browning of air-dried chestnut kernels was inhibited by the combined use of 1.5% EDTA-2Na, 1% pullulan, and 1% L-cysteine. The air-dried chestnut kernels were packed in three different bags (PB1, polyethylene (PE); PB2, polyamide resin (PA)/PE; and PB3, polyethylene tere-phthalate/PA/aluminum foil/PE), and stored at 4 degrees C, 25 degrees C, and 35 degrees C, respectively. With increased storage time, the degree of browning, weight loss, and hardness increased, while the antioxidant activity and respiration rate decreased. The shelf life (SL) of packaged air-dried chestnut kernels in different storage conditions was pre-dicted by the Arrhenius equation, and the longest predicted shelf-lives at 4 degrees C, 25 degrees C, and 35 degrees C were 105.3 days (PB2), 19.5 days (PB3), and 10.8 days (PB1), respectively. The results provide guidance for inhibiting the browning of packaged air-dried chest-nut kernels and prolonging their SL during production and consumption.

Automated summary

This study investigated the methods of production and storage of air-dried chestnut kernels. It was found that the browning of chestnut kernels could be inhibited by the use of 1.5% EDTA-2Na, 1% pullulan, and 1% L-cysteine. The study also revealed that different packaging and storage conditions affected the degree of browning and shelf life of the chestnut kernels. Through prediction models, the longest predicted shelf lives of the chestnut kernels under different storage conditions were determined to be 105.3 days (PB2), 19.5 days (PB3), and 10.8 days (PB1).