Sanitizer treatments alleviate lignification of sliced few-flower wildrice (Zizania latifolia Turcz.)

To investigate the effects of sanitation processing on the lignification of few-flower wildrice (FFW), fresh-cut FFW was treated with water (control), 80 mg/L peroxyacetic acid (PAA), 100 mg/L ClO2 or 50 mg/L H2O2, packed in polyethylene film bags and stored at 2 °C for 21 days. Firmness, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin forming related enzymes activities were examined. Sanitizer treatments inhibited the increases of firmness, lignin and cellulose than the control. The changes of hemicelluloses did not show a difference between the control and PAA treatment. An increase in the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and a reduction in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, were detected in the sliced FFW in the incompatible interaction. Compared with the control, sanitizers suppressed the activities of PAL, POD and PPO, but enhanced the activities of SOD and CAT during 21 days of storage. These enzymatic activities varied with different sanitizers. These results show that 80 mg/L peroxyacetic acid (PAA), 100 mg/L ClO2 or 50 mg/L H2O2 sanitation processing can maintain tenderness, alleviate the lignification and fibrosis of fresh-cut FFW.