Summary

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of passive modified atmosphere packaging in preservation of the quality of minimally processed snap beans, mainly in minimizing enzymatic browning and microbial deterioration. The work consisted of a preliminary test and a final experiment. In the preliminary test, the snap beans were packed in different materials (PP tray; 20 µm PVC; 33 and 52 µm PEBD; 32 and 51 µm PP; 66 µm BOPP/PEBD laminated film) and stored at 10 °C for four days. In the final experiment, the snap beans were packed in three different types of material and stored at 5 °C for seven days. Physical, chemical, biochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluations were carried out periodically. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement (treatment × storage time) with three replicates. The results were submitted to an analysis of variance and the means compared by the Tukey test (5%). Anaerobiosis occurred within the PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene and laminated packages containing minimally processed snap beans stored at 10 °C. The laser micro-perforated (Xtend-815-BAS-14) and PVC films contributed to quality maintenance for seven days storage at 5 °C. The use of chilled water at 5 °C is recommended in the operations of rinsing and sanitization and storage at 5 °C. Modification of the atmosphere inside the PVC and laser micro-perforated packages minimized browning and microbial growth of the minimally processed snap beans.

Keywords:
Phaseolus vulgaris L.; Microorganisms; Modified atmosphere packaging; Enzymatic browning