Effect of washing methods on quality and safety keeping of fresh-cut cucumbers

The effect of five different washing methods (tap water, ozone water, sodium hypochlorite, ultrasonic, acidic electrolyzed water) on quality and safety parameters of fresh-cut cucumbers were investigated.Changes of sensory, weight loss, soluble solids, Vitamin C, malonaldehyde, hardness and total bacteria count during storage were emphasized in this study.Results revealed that, washing with acidic electrolyzed water could not only inhibit rotting and browning, but also delayed the increasing of weight loss, malonaldehyde content and the decomposition of V C and hardness.In addition, acidic electrolyzed water could effectively inhibit the microbial growth and reproduction, which enhanced the edible safety of fresh-cut cucumbers.However, although the effect of ozone water, sodium hypochlorite and ultrasonic were better than those of the tap water, they were less efficient than those of acidic electrolyzed water.Taking all these into account, acidic electrolyzed water washing could prolong the shelf life of fresh-cut cucumbers 2～4d.