EFFECT OF SANITIZERS ON THE SENSORY SHELF-LIFE OF CHIA (Salvia hispanica) MICROGREENS

Resumen

Objective: To compare the efficacy of different sanitizing agents in extending the sensory shelf life and maintaining the quality of chia (Salvia hispanica) microgreens in terms of overall quality, color, rot development and off-flavor.

Design/methodology/approach: Different parametric models (gamma, exponential, Weibull and log-logistic) were evaluated to determine the most appropriate one to analyze the sensory shelf life of treatments with sanitizing agents. The functions proposed by Guillermo Hough were used to calculate the sensory shelf life for each treatment. Finally, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the effects of the different sanitizing agents.

Results: Survival rates of microgreens varied according to the sanitizing agent used. On day two, sodium hypochlorite showed a survival rate of 80 %, which decreased with time. On the other hand, colloidal silver reached a survival rate of 90 % on day two, while calcium oxide saturated solution showed a survival rate of 85 % in the same period. The control revealed a rate of 65 % by day two, a lower percentage than the previous ones.

Limitations on study/implications: In this study, three sanitizers (colloidal silver, sodium hypochlorite and saturated solution of calcium oxide nanoparticles) were evaluated and other possible treatments or combinations of treatments that could be effective in preserving the quality and sensory shelf life of chia microgreens were not considered.

Findings/conclusions: The study revealed that colloidal silver treatment was the most effective in extending the sensory shelf-life of microgreens, with an estimated shelf life of 1.78 days at 10 % rejection, followed by chlorine and saturated calcium oxide solution.