Evaluation of the effects of acetic acid and ozone treatment on the quality of fresh-cut lotus root based on grey relational analysis.

This study aimed to extend the storage time of fresh-cut lotus roots. A quantitative evaluation was conducted using the grey-correlation analysis method based on the variation-coefficient weight to observe the treatment of acetic acid (0, 2%, and 5%) and ozone (0, 0.3 mg/L, and 0.6 mg/L). Their effects on weight loss rate, browning degree, and the content of reducing sugar, ascorbic acid, and free amino acid were determined. Under varied treatments and storage time, the weight loss rate, browning degree, and content of nutritional components in fresh-cut lotus root differed. Result of the weighted correlation degree showed that for fresh-cut lotus root stored for more than 4 days, 0.3 mg/L ozone could be used as preservative to ensure the storage quality. These findings could provide a scientific basis for using acetic acid and ozone as preservative to extend the storage time of fresh-cut lotus root.