Development of a Quantitative Colour-Based Software Method to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Active Antioxidant Packaging on Fresh Sliced Mushrooms

A software-based procedure consisting of colour measurement mushrooms was developed for assessing the effectiveness a new antioxidant active packaging. As agents, sodium metabisulphite combined with citric acid, green tea extract α-tocopherol and purple carrot were evaluated. After obtaining image conventional flatbed scanner, MATLAB code specially designed to obtain compare histograms. Then, data processed using principal component analysis (66% accumulated variance explained) successful classification samples according their age system obtained. The greatly exceeded discrimination capabilities other commonly used methods such as CIE L*a*b* (which unable find any significant difference between blank antioxidant-treated mushrooms; L*blank = 70 ± 3; L*metabisulphite 75 5; L*green L*carrot 69 5) visual panel (where only sample perceived be significantly different from rest samples, 27 positive votes out 50). method classified correctly up 90% age. Besides, 100% 70% treated tea, respectively, found fresher than corresponding blanks. Among metabisulphite, 33% behaved one-day 67% acted 4-day while among 10% in 1-day group, 60% group. In contrast, proved inefficient an antioxidant. Thus, mushroom those antioxidants objectively measured.