Effect of Hot-air Surface Drying on Storage and Freshness of Kimchi Cabbage

To evaluate the quality changes of Kimchi cabbage, it was packaged in the modified atmosphere (MA) after hot-air surface drying (HASD) or differential pressure precooling (PC) and stored at 0oC for 45 days. The respiration rate after PC was lower than that after HASD, but they were not significantly different. In both HASD and PC, the ethylene production rate was lower than that of the control group. The oxygen concentration decreased and the carbon dioxide concentration increased according to the storage period, but they did not show significant differences. The change of trimming loss and weight loss tended to increase as the storage period. No significant difference was shown between HASD and PC, but the corresponding result values of the treatment groups were significantly lower than those of the control group. There was no significant difference in electrolyte conductivity and texture between treatment groups, but HASD and PC were superior to the control group. These results suggest that HASD will be available on preprocessing method for long-term storage and freshness of Kimchi cabbage together with PC.