Studies on browning inhibition technology and mechanisms of fresh-cut potato

Potato is rich in nutrition and easily gets surface browning in short term after fresh-cut processing, significantly reducing its commercial value. In this article, fresh-cut potatoes were treated with L-cysteine (L-cys), citric acid (CA), ascorbic acid (AA), and ultrasonication. The response surface analysis was used to determine the best browning-inhibiting treatment. The optimum condition to inhibit browning was the solution containing 0.06% L-cys, 0.19% CA, and 0.09% AA plus with 130 W ultrasonication. Under this condition, the browning degree (BD) of fresh-cut potato after 15 days storage was 3.32 ± 0.06, which was closed to the predicted value. Moreover, the BD, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase activities of treated potatoes were significantly lower than those of untreated potatoes. In summary, the browning process of fresh-cut potatoes was inhibited, and the sensory quality was improved with the optimal antibrowning treatment. Practical applications The optimal browning-inhibiting formula was determined by the response surface method. The application of antibrowning agents and ultrasonication efficiently inhibited the activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase, increasing shelf life and consumers' acceptability during the process of raw potato products. The optimized antibrowning treatment is safe, economic and applicable, which can be used to slow down the browning of fresh-cut potato theoretically and technically.