Effect of Vacuum Cooling and Packaging on Physico-Chemical

Properties of ‘Red’ Holy Basil

D. Boonyakiat P. Boonprasom
Department of Horticulture Department of Food Engineering
Faculty of Agriculture Faculty of Agro-Industry
Chiang Mai University Chiang Mai University and
Thailand Postharvest Technology Innovation Center
Chiang Mai University
Thailand

Keywords: vacuum cooling, holy basil, packaging, physico-chemical properties, shelf

life

Abstract
The effect of vacuum cooling and type of packaging on the physico-chemical
properties of ‘Red’ holy basil stored at 13°C, the most proper temperatures to store
holy basil from the study, was investigated. The results showed that vacuum cooling
had no effect on the loss of fresh weight, the change of color, the amounts of vitamin
C and chlorophyll in ‘Red’ holy basil, but was an important factor in maintaining
longer shelf life than those of holy basil not vacuum-cooled. The amounts of phenolic
content and antioxidant activity in holy basil after vacuum cooling were significantly
higher than those found in holy basil without vacuum cooling. Type of packaging
had a significant effect on fresh weight loss, phenolic compounds and antioxidant
but had no effect on the amounts of color change, vitamin C and chlorophyll. Holy
basil packed in PVC film wrapped foam trays suffered a smaller loss of fresh weight
and at the same time measured lower amounts of phenolic compounds and lower
antioxidant activity than those packed in holed plastic boxes. There was no
interaction effect between vacuum cooling and type of packaging on the loss of fresh
weight, the change of color, the amounts of vitamin C and chlorophyll in holy basil
but it significantly affected total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and shelf life.
The research also exemplified that ‘Red’ holy basil precooled and stored under those
optimal conditions is significantly better preserved with longer shelf life of about 9
days as opposed to the normal length of 4 days.

INTRODUCTION
‘Red’ holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) is a Thai herb with high export
potentials, particularly to European countries. The Royal Project Foundation has a policy
to export those Thai herb vegetables to Europe. However, holy basil, constantly
deteriorates in quality throughout its storage life and during transportation. Vacuum
cooling technology is a proven technology widely applied on post-processing of harvested
agricultural product (Cheng, 2006). Vacuum cooling is a rapid evaporative cooling
technique, which is achieved by boiling part of the moisture in the foods under vacuum
conditions (Zheng and Sun, 2004). The advantages of vacuum cooling include shorter
processing time, extended product shelf life, improved product quality and safety
(McDonald and Sun, 2000). Zheng and Sun (2004) concluded that vacuum cooling
combined with spraying water was proven to be a suitable and rapid cooling method for
cooked broccoli and carrot slices. The handling process of the multi-stage vacuum
pressure reserving can effectively reduce both the internal and external temperatures of
the cabbage, its complex internal structure which is tightly wrapped, and make the two
temperatures nearly identical, and effectively save energy required by the vacuum cooling
process (Cheng and Hsueh, 2007). Cheng (2006) investigated the effect of vacuum
cooling in combination with hydro-cooling and vacuum drying on harvested bamboo
shoots. The experimental results showed that multi-stage vacuum pressure reserving
technique combined with hydro-cooling could reduce the temperature of bamboo shoots

Proc. 6th International Postharvest Symposium

Eds.: M. Erkan and U. Aksoy 419
Acta Hort. 877, ISHS 2010
efficiently. It was proven to prolong the storage time and improve the freshness
preserving quality efficiently. This research study was therefore conducted to find out
optimum storage temperature and the effects of vacuum cooling in different packaging on
physico-chemical properties of the herb.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plant Materials
‘Red’ holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn.) was harvested at commercial maturity
stage in October 2008 from Lamphun province and immediately transported by truck to
the collection center in Chiang Mai, the Royal Project Foundation.

The First Experiment

The study was conducted to investigate optimum storage temperatures for ‘Red’
holy basil. ‘Red’ holy basils were graded and defects and undesirable parts were trimmed
off. Then they were packaged in 50 micron PVC (polyvinylchloride) film wrapped foam
trays. The plant materials were stored under 4 storage temperatures of 4, 7, 10 and 13°C
then observations were made on the change of external qualities as follows: loss of fresh
weight, color change; color was expressed as L* value, chroma (C*) and hue angle (h°)
using a colorimeter. (Chromameter, Minolta CR-310) and shelf life.

The Second Experiment

The effect of vacuum cooling and type of packaging on the physico-chemical
properties of ‘Red’ holy basil stored at 13°C, the most proper temperatures to store holy
basil from the first experiment, was investigated. The vacuum cooling system used in this
experiment included vacuum chamber, vacuum pumping system, condenser, refrigerator,
and automatic control and operation system. The study was conducted on physico-
chemical qualities of ‘Red’ holy basil vacuum-cooled (Fig. 1) at the best cooling
parameters using holding pressure of 12 millibar with holding time of 1 and 3 min for
basil packed in a foam tray and holed plastic box (Fig. 2), respectively. The plant
materials harvested at commercial maturity stage were graded, defects and undesirable
parts were trimmed off and then they were put into 2 types of ready-to-sell packages. 80 g
of ‘Red’ holy basil was put in each PVC (polyvinylchloride) film wrapped foam tray
sized 15.2×17.8×29.2 cm. 40 holes were made in this with a diameter of 0.5 mm each.
And 50 g of holy basil was placed in each holed plastic box (12 holes with 1 cm diameter
each) sized 8.9×13.2×6.4 cm. A total of 800 grams of herbs was spread in each
polypropylene basket for a total of 60 baskets. The initial weight and temperatures of holy
basil were measured and recorded, then precooled using the vacuum cooling system
described above and stored at the temperature of 13° C. The holy basil was stored until
the end of its storage life at the temperature of 13°C, 65% RH. Physico-chemical
properties were analysed every day as follows: weight loss percentage, color was
expressed as L* value, chroma (C*) and hue angle (h°) using a colorimeter
(Chromameter, Minolta CR-310), ascorbic acid was extracted and analysed according to a
method described by AOAC (2000), chlorophyll was extracted and analysed following
Whitham (1971), total phenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method
using gallic acid as a standard, which is described by Manthey (2004). The antioxidant
activity of the extracts was determined in terms of hydrogen donating or radical
scavenging ability, using the stable radical DPPH (Brand-William et al., 1995).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The First Experiment

Table 1 displayed physical properties of ‘Red’ holy basil stored at different
temperatures. Holy basil stored at the temperatures of 4, 7, 10 and 13°C lost its fresh
weight continuously with storage time. For holy basil stored for 3 days, the fresh weight

420
loss after storage at the temperatures of 10 and 13°C account to 3.75 and 3.60%,
respectively (Table 1), which were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the fresh weight
loss when stored at the temperatures of 4 and 7°C. Regarding the color change, the hue
angle of holy basil stored at the temperature of 7°C was found to show the lowest value of
111.54° and was significantly (p<0.05) different from holy basil stored at the other
temperatures. Hue angle of holy basil stored at 10°C showed the highest value of 113.76°.
There were no significant differences in L* and C* values stored at temperatures of 4, 7,
10 and 13°C for 3 days (p>0.05). Deterioration in quality of holy basil and sweet basil
was attributable to chilling injury, occurring especially at the temperature of 4°C starting
from a dark brown patch underneath the leaves. Growing more severe, the dark brown
patch turned black with tissues setting back a little.

The Second Experiment

This experiment investigated the effect of vacuum cooling and type of ready-to-
sell packaging on the physico-chemical properties of ‘Red’ holy basil stored at 13°C, the
most proper temperatures to store holy basil from the first experiment. The results showed
that vacuum cooling had no effect on the loss of fresh weight (Table 2), the change of
color, the amounts of vitamin C and chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll in ‘Red’ holy
basil, but was an important factor in maintaining longer shelf life than those of holy basil
not vacuum-cooled. Weight loss percentage of plant material continued to increase in all
treatments throughout the storage period (Fig. 3). The amounts of vitamin C tended to
decrease with storage time. The chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll (Table 3) tended to
decrease with storage time, which correlated with the diminishing green color. The
amounts of total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of holy basil after vacuum
cooling were significantly higher than those found in holy basil without vacuum cooling.
It was found that total phenolic content and antioxidant activities increased until the end
of the storage. Total phenolic content of holy basil with and without vacuum cooled after
4 days of storage were 62,828.96 and 55,059.79 µg GAE/100g dry weight (Table 4).
Table 4 also illustrated antioxidant activities of holy basil with and without vacuum
cooled after 4 days of storage were 17,527.49 and 15,238.52 µg GAE/100g dry weight.
Deterioration in quality of holy basil, which was a shelf life indication, was attributable to
chilling injury, starting from a dark brown patch underneath the leaves. Growing more
severe, the dark brown patch turned black with tissues setting back a little.
Type of packaging had significant effect on fresh weight loss, phenolic
compounds, antioxidant activities, and shelf life but had no effect on the amounts of
vitamin C and chlorophyll (Table 3). Holy basil packed in PVC film wrapped foam trays
suffered a smaller loss of fresh weight and at the same time measured lower amounts of
phenolic compounds but lower antioxidant activities than that packed in holed plastic
boxes. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of holy basil packed in different
types of packaging during 4 days storage are displayed in Table 4. Total phenolic content
and antioxidant activities of both types of packaging generally increased with increasing
storage time and were significant higher in holy basil with the vacuum cooling process.
Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of holy basil packed in PVC wrapped
foam trays were significant lower than holy basil packaged in the holed plastic box. The
finding was likely attributed to higher water loss from holy basil packed in the holed
plastic box than those packed in the foam tray. The results also indicated that antioxidant
activities of ‘Red’ holy basil were correlated with total phenolic content and were affected
by vacuum cooling as well as packaging type. The increase in total phenolic content of
the holy basil throughout the storage was likely attributed to continuous loss of moisture
from the herb. There was no interaction effect between vacuum cooling and type of
packaging on the loss of fresh weight, the change of color, the amounts of vitamin C and
chlorophyll in holy basil but significantly affected on total phenolic content, antioxidant
activity and shelf life. This research also exemplified that ‘Red’ holy basil precooled and
stored at 13°C are significantly better preserved with longer shelf life of 7 to 9 days
depending upon type of packaging as opposed to the normal length of 4 days (Table 5).

421
CONCLUSIONS
The study on optimum storage temperatures revealed that the most proper
temperature to store holy basil was 13°C with the storage life of 8 days. The vacuum
cooling had no effect on the loss of fresh weight (Table 2), the change of color, the
amounts of vitamin C and chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll in ‘Red’ holy basil, but
was an important factor in maintaining longer shelf life than those of holy basil not
vacuum-cooled. Type of packaging had significant effect on fresh weight loss, phenolic
compounds, antioxidant activities, and shelf life but had no effect on the amounts of
vitamin C and chlorophyll. The shelf life of holy basil vacuum cooled packed in PVC
wrapped foam tray was the highest being 9 days. From this research, it can be concluded
that vacuum cooling and optimal type of packaging could help prolong the storage life of
holy basil.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to Highland Research and Development Institute (Public
Organization) for the financial support. The authors really appreciate the Project
Foundation for provision of facilities and thanks to the staff for their kind assistance. The
Postharvest Technology Innovation Center, Chiang Mai university, Thailand provided
financial support to the first author for attending the conference, thanks to the provider.

Literature Cited
AOAC. 2000. Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical
Chemist, Inc. Washington, DC.
Brand-Williams, W., Cuvelier, M.E. and Berset, C. 1995. Use of a free radical method to
evaluate antioxidant activity. Lebensm. Wiss. Technol. 28:25-30.
Cheng, H.P. 2006. Vacuum cooling combined with hydrocooling and vacuum drying on
bamboo shoots. Applied Thermal Engineering 26:2168-2175.
Cheng, H.-P. and Hsueh, C.-F. 2007. Multi-stage vacuum cooling process of cabbage.
Journal of Food Engineering 79:37-46.
Manthey, J.A. 2004. Fractionation of orange peel phenols in ultrafiltered molasses and
mass balance studies of their antioxidant levels. Journal of Agriculture and Food
Chemistry 52(25):7586-7592.
McDonald, K. and Sun, D.-W. 2000. Vacuum cooling technology for the food processing
industry. Journal Food Engineering 45:55-56.
Policegoudra, R.S. and Aradhya, S.M. 2007. Biochemical changes and antioxidant
activity of mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) rhizomes during postharvest
storage at different temperatures. Postharvest Biology and Technology 46:189-194.
Tao, F., Zhang Min and Yu Hang-qing. 2007. Effect of vacuum cooling on physiological
changes in the antioxidant system of mushroom under different storage conditions.
Journal of Food Engineering 79:1302-1309.
Whitham, F.H., Blaydes, D.H., Devin, R.M. and Van, D. 1971. Experiment in plant
physiology. Nostrand Co. New York. 245p.
Zheng, L. and Sun, D.-W. 2004. Vacuum cooling for the food industry - a review of
recent research advances. Trends in Food Science & Technology 15:555-568.

422
Tables

Table 1. Physical properties of ‘Red’ holy basil stored at different temperatures after 3
days of storage.

Storage Weight loss Hue angle Shelf

L* C*
temperature (°C) (%) ( degree) life (days)
4 1.22c 52.13 18.24 112.48ab 3d
7 3.34b 51.87 18.19 111.54b 5c
10 3.75a 51.54 18.30 113.76a 7b
13 3.60ab 52.35 17.98 112.88ab 8a
Different letters in the same column denote significant differences at P=0.05.

Table 2. Influences of vacuum cooling and packaging on physical properties (mean of ±

S.E.) of ‘Red’ holy basil stored for 4 days.

Weight
Treatment L* Value C* Hue angle
loss (%)
Vacuum cooling process
with vacuum cooling 6.82±2.63 45.66±3.05 13.14±4.43 113.51±16.86
without vacuum cooling 6.59±1.89 46.56±3.87 15.08±5.50 115.36±11.33
Type of packaging
PVC wrapped foam tray 4.99±0.85b 47.87±2.60a 15.45±3.73 119.28±3.75
Holed plastic box 8.41±1.82a 44.36±3.33b 12.77±5.84 109.59±18.66
Different letters in the same column denote significant differences at P=0.05.

Table 3. Influences of vacuum cooling and packaging on chemical properties (mean of ±

S.E.) of ‘Red’ holy basil stored for 4 days.
Ascorbic Total
Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll
acid chlorophyll
Treatment (mg/100 g b (mg/100 g
(mg/100 g (mg/100 g dry
dry weight) dry weight)
dry weight) weight)
Vacuum cooling process
with vacuum cooling 167.28±9.17 1.70±0.047 0.97±0.036 2.67±0.083
without vacuum cooling 188.20±9.72 1.30±0.039 0.65±0.012 1.95±0.050
Type of packaging
PVC wrapped foam tray 209.05±9.17 1.77±0.036 0.96±0.037 2.72±0.072
Holed plastic box 146.36±7.25 1.24±0.032 0.65±0.014 1.89±0.046

423
Table 4. Influences of vacuum cooling and packaging on total phenolic content and
antioxidant activity (mean of ± S.E.) of ‘Red’ holy basil stored for 4 days.

Total phenolic content Antioxidant activity

Treatment (µg GAE/g dry weight) (µg GAE/g dry weight)
Vacuum cooling process
with vacuum cooling 62,828.96±804.73a 17,527.49±449.83a
without vacuum cooling 55,059.79±976.89b 15,238.52±400.96b
Type of packaging
PVC wrapped foam tray 56,141.13±783.26b 14,295.34±221.57b
Holed plastic box 61,747.63±1142.08a 17,596.54±296.61a
Different letters in the same column denote significant differences at P = 0.05

Table 5. Influences of vacuum cooling and packaging on shelf life of ‘Red’ holy basil
stored at 13°C.

Treatment Shelf life

Vacuum cooling process
with vacuum cooling 7.30±1.64b
without vacuum cooling 5.80±2.15a
Type of packaging
PVC wrapped foam tray 8.30±0.67a
Holed plastic box 4.80±1.14b
Different letters in the same column denote significant differences at P=0.05.

424
Figures

Fresh ‘Red’ holy basil

Pre-treatment
(grading, trimming, sizing)

Packing

PVC film wrapped foam tray Holed plastic box

Placing holy basil into vacuum chamber

Recording the initial weight and

temperature of holy basil

Setting holding pressure as the vacuum pressure reserving

Recording the center temperature of

Chamber pressure falling to
holy basil, vacuum pressure,
holding pressure and vacuum
chamber temperature and %RH.
pressure reserving

Ending vacuum pressure preserving

Pressure-restoring and holy basil removing

Recording weight and temperature of holy basil

after removing from vacuum chamber.

Fig. 1. The flow chart of vacuum process steps.

425
Fig. 2. Arrangement of ‘Red’ holy basil packed in holed plastic box (left) and PVC
wrapped foam tray (right).

16
Box with
14 vacuum cooling

12 Box without
Weight Loss (%)

vacuum cooling
10
8
6 Foam tray with
vacuum cooling
4
2 Foam tray without
vacuum cooling
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days of Storage
Fig. 3. Weight loss percentage on ‘Red’ holy basil stored at 13°C as affected by vacuum
cooling process and packaging.

426