Effect of pretreatments and packaging on shelf-life of peeled garlic cloves

A study on minimally processed garlic was carried out to study the effect of different packages on the keeping quality during refrigerated storage. Peeled garlic cloves pretreated with CaCl₂, gingelly oil and untreated garlic samples packed in LDPE and HDPE with 0.3% ventilation and without ventilation were stored at 10°C and 60–70% RH. A respiration rate of untreated garlic cloves was higher than pretreated garlic cloves. Colour values L* and a* values showed a decreasing trend, while b* showed an increasing trend. The firmness of garlic cloves decreased at a steady rate with the increase in duration of the refrigerated storage. The sprouting ratio and rooting score were higher in ventilated packages than unventilated packages. At the end of storage ascorbic acid content, pyruvic acid (pungency), oleoresin, protein decreased as storaged days increased, total soluble solids also increases as storage days increases. The shelf life of peeled garlic cloves pretreated with gingelly oil was enhanced from 18 to 42 days in the HDPE package without ventilation.