JP2732505B2 - How to store root vegetables - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to potatoes during storage,
In order to suppress the germination of root vegetables such as onions, store in a low concentration ethylene gas atmosphere after setting various conditions such as temperature, light, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor (humidity) and gas concentration in the storage. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Root vegetables such as potatoes and onions during storage are:
By germination, nutrient components are reduced and the taste is reduced. In potato, biosynthesis of glycoalkaloids such as highly toxic solanine is induced, and the quality is deteriorated and the commercial value is almost lost. Conventionally, various storage methods of storing root vegetables while suppressing germination in a storage have been known, but the significance of suppressing germination during storage lies in the above points.

[0003] One of the first measures against germination during storage of root crops is a method of destroying living tissue of buds by irradiation with cobalt radiation. However, this method has a strong rebound among consumers in terms of food safety. Further, a method of administering a phytochemical regulator such as maleic hydrazide as a germination inhibitor before harvesting has been developed, but this also tends to be avoided from the viewpoint of persistence.

At present, the most orthodox method is to reduce the temperature during storage. Reducing the temperature is a fundamental means of maintaining quality. However, it is inevitable that starch is saccharified and degraded sweetly due to low temperature, but the temperature has been further reduced to prevent germination. At present, potatoes and the like can be kept at a low temperature of 1 to 2 ° C. just before freezing, and storage for a long period of time has become possible, but the sweetness has further increased. Sweetness itself is considered to be an added value, but not only impairs the unique flavor of potatoes and the like, but also causes discoloration during processing, and in that sense, it is desirable that the sweetness does not progress. Therefore, a storage method other than temperature control that suppresses germination is required.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems during storage of potatoes and the like, and more specifically, to provide a new storage method for suppressing germination other than temperature control. What you want to do.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a storage method for storing root vegetables such as potatoes and onions while suppressing germination in a dark storage. Is maintained at 0 to 20 ° C., air is mixed with ethylene gas from the outside into this storage, and the ethylene gas concentration is adjusted to a low concentration of 0.01 to 35 ppm by passing through a water tank, and introduced into the storage. An exhaust port is provided to store root vegetables while keeping the inside of the storage always under conditions of high humidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide close to the air composition.

[0007]

The germination of root crops during the storage period is significantly suppressed. It greatly extends the period of non-germination storage of potatoes and the like. Further, since ethylene gas has a low concentration, there is no problem in food safety at all.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Ethylene gas, a plant hormone that affects germination of potatoes, etc., CA (Con)
(trolled Atmosphere) In addition to carbon dioxide and oxygen used for storage, gas conditions such as water vapor and temperature,
The present inventors have studied the influence of the preservation environment such as light, and have completed the present invention based on this.

That is, when potatoes are stored in a storage,
The temperature inside the refrigerator should be between 0 ° C and 20 ° C,
During the storage period, the interior of the refrigerator was kept dark and oxygen and carbon dioxide gas having a high humidity and an air composition close to that of the air were constantly used.
It was confirmed that the germination of potatoes during storage can be suppressed by setting the ethylene gas atmosphere to about 01 to 35 ppm. In addition, ethylene gas is one of the plant hormones, and food safety does not pose any problem at the concentration in the above range. It is necessary to control the concentration of ethylene gas because its germination inhibitory power varies depending on the concentration. FIG. 1 shows an example of a storage provided with a device for performing condition control.

In FIG. 1, a storage 8 for storing potatoes
Is provided with a temperature and lighting control device (not shown), and ethylene gas is introduced into the storage 8 from outside through a pipe while adjusting the flow rate by the flow rate control valve 1. Along with the introduction of the ethylene gas, air is introduced through a pipe provided with a cock 5, a water tank 2 is provided through these introduction paths, the gas is passed through the pipe, and a gas introduction port 4 opened at a lower position of the storage 8 through the cock 3. From the storage 8. The interior of the refrigerator is always in a gas atmosphere of high humidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide gas close to the air composition, and low concentration ethylene gas. In the cock 5, the concentration of gas such as ethylene in the refrigerator is adjusted by adjusting the amount of air introduced.

On the other hand, an exhaust port 6 is provided at an upper position of the storage 8, and gas in the storage 8 is exhausted from the exhaust port 6 through a pipe provided with a cock 7. The cock 7 is opened with time, and gas discharged outside the refrigerator is collected to check the gas concentration. If the gas concentration is out of the preset condition, the condition is set again. The gas inlet 4 and the exhaust port 6 are provided at upper and lower diagonal positions in the storage 8 in terms of gas diffusion.

[0012]

Embodiment 1 A storage (30 cm long × 32 cm wide ×
Several sets were prepared in a low-temperature room (temperature of 3-4 ° C, automatic control), four sets were placed in a greenhouse of 20 ° C (automatic control), and the remaining one set At 30 ° C. (automatic control), the effects of temperature and carbon dioxide concentration on germination of potatoes in the dark were examined. As potatoes, a variety of hokkaikogane was tested, and 20 of the selected potatoes, each of which was 60 to 120 g, were tested. During the storage period, the gas continued to be introduced in small amounts from the cylinder. Table 1 shows the storage conditions and experimental results. As is clear from Table 1, it was found that germination was suppressed as the temperature was lowered and the carbon dioxide gas concentration was lowered.

[0013]

[Table 1]

[0014]

[Embodiment 2] Two sets of storages made of the same acrylic plate as in Embodiment 1 are placed in a low-temperature room (temperature of 3 to 4 ° C, automatic control), and the same number of varieties of the same type as in Embodiment 1 are provided, and one of them is tested While flowing a small amount of air and a small amount of 0.17 ppm ethylene gas diluted with air on the other side,
Storage began on February 9. All gases were introduced from a gas inlet through a water layer from a cylinder.

Germination was first observed in potatoes in a test plot in which only air was flowed, and germination was first observed 6 months after storage. Thereafter, the number of germinations increased day by day, and the buds elongated. On the other hand, no germination was observed after 5 months of storage in the case where ethylene gas was flowed, and 0.17 pp
It was found that m of ethylene gas strongly suppressed germination. Germination was observed only in September, a further five months delay, demonstrating long-term germination-free storage. FIG. 2 is a comparison diagram of the germination state about 11 months after storage.

[0016]

Example 3 In the following year (1993), two sets of storages of the same acrylic plate were prepared, and the ethylene gas concentration was set to about 20.
A storage experiment exactly the same as that of Example 1 was performed by increasing the size to 0 times. That is, the germination time was compared between the case where air was flown and the case where 35 ppm ethylene gas diluted with air was flown to the cultivar Hokusai-kogane. As a result, the germination time of the potatoes did not change in the storage in which only air was flowed, but in the storage in which 35 ppm ethylene gas was flown, the delay of germination of the potatoes was shortened to about 3 months, which was shorter than that of Example 2. Fell.

Although the above embodiments and examples are directed to potatoes, the present invention relates to other onions,
The same can be applied to root vegetables such as sweet potatoes.

[0018]

As described above, according to the method for storing root vegetables according to the present invention, the inside of the storage is kept at 0 to 20 ° C., and air is mixed with ethylene gas from the outside to this storage and passed through the water tank. Let the ethylene gas concentration be 0.01 to 35 ppm
The roots are stored while keeping the inside of the storage under conditions of high humidity and oxygen and carbon dioxide near the air composition at all times by providing an exhaust port in the storage. Germination of root crops during the period is significantly suppressed, and the period of non-germination storage of potatoes and the like can be greatly extended. The ethylene gas concentration is 0.01 to 35 ppm
At very low concentrations, food safety is perfectly acceptable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a storage provided with an apparatus for performing condition control according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a comparison diagram of the germination state of potatoes after storage for about 11 months in Example 2, (a) shows a test section in which ethylene gas was flown, and (b) shows a test section in which air was flown.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flow control valve 2 Water tank 3,5,7 Cock 4 Gas inlet 6 Exhaust port 8 Storage

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage method for storing root vegetables such as potatoes and onions while suppressing germination in a dark storage, wherein the storage is maintained at 0 to 20 ° C., and ethylene is added to the storage from the outside. The gas is mixed with air, passed through a water tank to adjust the ethylene gas concentration to a low concentration of 0.01 to 35 ppm, and introduced. The storage is provided with an exhaust port, and the inside of the storage is always kept at high humidity and air. A method for storing root vegetables, wherein the root vegetables are stored while being kept under conditions of oxygen and carbon dioxide having a composition close to each other.