Effect of ethanol treatment on fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut etiolation and the related enzymes

Chinese water chestnut was used as material to investigate the effect of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% ethanol on fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut etiolation and the related enzymes.The results showed that during storage, ethanol treatment of different concentrations inhibited the decrease of L*value in varying degree.And the rising amplitude of b*value and C*value gradually decreased with ethanol concentration increasing.Correspondingly, the increase of naringenin and eriodictyol content in etiolation tissues of fresh-cut Chinese water-chestnut decrease with increasing ethanol concentration. At the same time, with increasing ethanol concentration, the activity change trends of Phenylalanine ammonia lyase ( PAL) , Chalcone isomerase ( CHI) and Flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase ( F3 'H) in fresh-cut Chinese water-chestnut were gradually slow down. All in all, different concentrations ethanol had a certain effect on controlling fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut tissue etiolation. Among them, the10% and 20% ethanol treatment had significant effects just in a short term ( p < 0.05) , but the 30% and 40% ethanol treatment could maintain for a long time and the effects were significant ( p < 0.05) .