Storage temperature and type of cut affect the biochemical and physiological characteristics of fresh-cut purple onions

• Type of cut, storage temperature and time influenced the pungency of purple onion.
• Phenolic compounds and anthocyanins were influenced by storage temperature and time.
• Storage time affected quercetin content, but storage temperature or type of cut did not.
• Quality loss was accelerated by dicing as opposed to slicing the onion.

Minimal processing of onion (Allium cepa L.) results in convenience and freshness in a single product. However, inappropriate storage of fresh-cut onion results in losses of nutritional and sensory characteristics. To further understand this phenomenon, we evaluated the effect of the storage temperature and type of cut on the quality of fresh-cut purple onions. Purple onions (cv. Crioula Roxa) were minimally processed using two types of cut (10 mm cubes and 3–5 mm thick slices) and stored at different temperatures (0, 5, 10 and 15 °C) with 85–90% relative humidity (RH) for 15 days. The following analyses were performed to evaluate the shelf life of the purple onion: pungency, total phenolic content, anthocyanin content, quercetin content, respiratory rate, color, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH, dryness and deterioration index (DDI), and decay index (DI). Fresh-cut onions stored at 0 °C showed less pungency, lower respiratory rate levels and less variation of total phenolic, anthocyanin and quercetin contents. In addition, the physicochemical aspects and appearance changed less with fresh-cut onions stored at 0 °C. Moreover, slicing enabled a higher stability of the physicochemical and biochemical aspects in comparison to dicing. Storage of slices at 0 °C allowed preservation for up to 15 days.