• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.694-701
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• 2014

The quality characteristics of blanched Aster scaber with the blanching condition and various solutes (non-treated, NT; soluble Ca, SC; sodium bicarbonate, SB; and magnesium sulfate, MS) were evaluated with different blanching times and solutes. The blanching process decreased the total polyphenolics, ascorbic acid contents, hardness, and cutting strength of the leaves. As for the pectinesterase and polygalacturonase, the blanching process increased their inhibitory activities, and more than 90% of them were inactivated in all the samples that were blanched. For the total counts and the number of coliform groups, the number of total aerobes at 5.92-log CFU/g before the blanching process was reduced to the approximately 2-3 log scale, and the coliform group was not detected after the blanching. The blanching also significantly decreased the total chlorophyll a and b ratios. The sensory characteristics of the Aster scaber according to the test group showed that the leaves blanched for 3 min were the most highly evaluated in terms of their overall acceptability. The phenolic compound, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents tended to increase from before their blanching, and the Ca/Cb ratio was higher in the SC. These results showed that SC and MS treatment had greater effects on the quality characteristics and the pigmentation.