The Influence of Storage Conditions on the Quality of Vacuum-Packed Water Caltrop Shell

In order to explore the influence of storage temperature and time on the quality of vacuum-packed water caltrop shell (WCS), this study investigated the changes in the quality of vacuum-packed WCS under different storage temperature (3 ± 1 °C, 5 ± 1 °C and 7 ± 1 °C) and time. The quality-related parameters of WCS, including sensory quality, moisture content, texture characteristics and microstructure, were examined. The results showed that at the storage temperature of 5 ± 1 °C, vacuum-packaged WCS could maintain high sensory quality within 21 days, while at 3 ± 1 °C and 7 ± 1 °C, the samples showed low sensory quality at 21 days and 14 days, respectively. For the same storage time, storage at 5 ± 1 °C resulted in the least significant decrease in elastic modulus and compressive strength of the samples. Among the three storage temperatures, storage at 7 ± 1 °C led to the most obvious change in pore structure, followed by storage at 3 ± 1 °C and then 5 ± 1 °C. The variance analysis suggested that storage time has significant effects on all the tested parameters, while storage temperature has significant effects on the sensory quality and texture characteristics of the samples but shows no significant effect on the moisture content. These findings provide a theoretical reference for the packaging and storage of WCS and the development of water caltrop sheller.