SOUS-VIDE PACKAGING:

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF POTATO SLICES

TREATED WITH ROSEMARY ESSENTIAL OIL

L. AMOROSO, V. RIZZO, A. MAZZAGLIA, F. LICCIARDELLO, C. RESTUCCIA

and G. MURATORE*
Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100,
95123 Catania, Italy
*Corresponding author: g.muratore@unict.it

ABSTRACT

Fresh-cut potatoes, already peeled, cut and packed, meet a growing favour of consumers,
thanks to their high added value simplifying their use and consumption, both at home and
in the food service industry. Sous vide is a combined technique used for raw or partially
cooked food sources, packaged under vacuum. The request from consumers to reduce or
eliminate the synthetic chemical additives, suggested to try natural alternatives such as
essential oils (EOs), nowadays these compounds are frequently used, often through
dipping techniques. On the basis of studies carried out, it was considered that the
rosemary essential oil (EO) was the most appropriate and kindred with the preparation of
fresh-cut sliced potatoes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preserving effect
of 0.5 % (w/v) rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) EO on physical, sensory and
microbiological properties in fresh-cut sliced potatoes packaged in sous vide bags and
stored for 12 days at +4 ± 2°C. A sample treated equally, but without EO, was packed in
sous vide and stored at the same conditions and kept as control. Color change was
measured through Image-Pro Plus 7.0 software; sensory and microbiological analysis was
®

carried out during the shelf life test. EO addition significantly reduced mesophilic bacteria
and Enterobacteriaceae counts over the considered period. The sensory profile method UNI
10957 (2003) was used to measure any change in the sensory characters of samples, as a
result of rosemary EO treatment. The best sensory results were for samples treated with
EO, statistically significant results were observed on the descriptors sour and floury. HSI
(hue, saturation, intensity) describes colors as like as they are perceived by human eyes,
suggesting changes in color as browning index. The Hue value did not change during the
12 days of storage, for control slices as for slices treated with EO. Joint use of dipping in
EO, sous-vide technology and refrigerated condition allowed to obtain a value-added
product, safe, ready to cook, with appreciable characteristics for consumers.

Keywords: essential oil, fresh-cut potatoes, image analysis

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1. INTRODUCTION

The higher convenience of fresh-cut vegetables corresponds, generally, to a higher

proneness to perish, compared to the unprocessed product, due to the physiological
implications of the technologies used. Despite the difficult moment for the Italian potato
market, there are margins for growth and new strategies to improve the tuber
consumption trends. Stresses such as temperature or wounding, affect the physiology of
fresh produce by triggering responses that could induce the accumulation of phenolic
compounds or other secondary metabolites. Moreover, recent research has shown that
wounding increases the antioxidant capacity of some vegetables including potatoes
(REYES et al., 2007). Enzymatic browning is one of the most limiting factors for the shelf
life of fresh-cut products, and its prevention has always been considered a challenge from
food scientist (GARCIA and BARRETT, 2002).
To respond to the consumer’s request to reduce or eliminate the synthetic chemical
additives, natural alternatives, such as essential oils (EOs), are available, which can be
applied through dipping or, more recently, by inclusion within the most common plastic
materials. The antimicrobial action of EOs in model food systems or in real food is well
documented in literature; although the majority of the essential oils are classified as
Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), their use in foods as preservatives is often limited
due to flavour considerations, since effective antimicrobial doses may exceed
organoleptically acceptable levels (LAMBERT et al., 2001). There are some reports
available in the recent literature on the radical scavenging activity and the antimicrobial
activities of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil (HUSSAIN et al., 2010). The use of suitable
packaging methods combined with the presence of natural preserving substances, could
ensure the food safety and increase the shelf life. The aim of this work is to evaluate the
attitude of an early potato cultivar, ‘Marabel’, to be processed with rosemary EO and
packaged under vacuum in sous vide bags.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Sample preparation

Potatoes were washed, peeled and cut. Slices (5 kg) were treated with a mixture of peanut
seed oil and 0.5% (v/v) rosemary essential oil (E.O.) and a second aliquot (5 kg) were
subjected to dipping in a peanut oil and used as control. Slices were placed in sous vide
cooking bags, containing about 200 g of potatoes. The bags were sealed employing a
vacuum packaging machine (Delta Vacuum DELTA 30). Bags were stored under
refrigerated conditions at +4±2°C until analyses.

2.2. Image analysis

In order to quantify the real browning of potato cut zone, images were acquired by a
digital camera and they were processed through Image-Pro® Plus 7.0 software (Media
Cybernetics Inc., Rockville, USA). After opening each bag, the potato slices were placed in
a darkroom and pictures were taken at the same distance.

2.3. Microbiological analysis

The total mesophilic bacteria (TMB), the yeast and mold (YM) count and the
Enterobacteriaceae (TEB) were determined at the suitable incubation time and temperature.

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All microbiological counts were performed in triplicate and expressed as average log cfu 10

g sample.
-1

2.4. Sensory analysis

The sensory profile method UNI 10957 (2003) was used to measure any change in the
sensory characters of samples during the cold storage. Ten judges (six females and four
males) were trained in 4 sessions to develop a common vocabulary for the description of
sensory attributes and to familiarize with scales and procedures. During their training, the
judges produced a list of attributes to define the sensory profile. On the basis of the
citation frequency (>50%), seventeen descriptors were selected for control samples and
nineteen for samples with essential oil. The evaluation sessions, performed at 1, 5, 8 and 12
days of storage, were conducted in a sensory laboratory (UNI EN ISO 8589, 2010) from
11:00AM to 12:00AM in individual booths illuminated with white light. Randomized
samples were evaluated by assigning a score between 1 (absence of sensation) and 9
(extremely intense) in the sensory laboratory of the Di3A. The potato samples were served
on plates, coded with three-digit numbers, and water was provided to judges for rinsing
between samples. All data were acquired by a direct computerized registration system
(FIZZ Byosistemes. ver. 2.00 M, Couternon, France). The sensory data for each attribute
were submitted to one-way ANOVA by the software package Statgraphics® Centurion
XVI (Statpoint Technologies, INC.) using samples as factors. The significance was tested
by means of the F-test. To differentiate the samples, the mean values were submitted to the
multiple comparison tests using the least significant difference (LSD) procedure for p ≤
0.05.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Potato slices exhibited changes in color and browning of the cut surface during storage.
The study of the browning index is useful to assess shelf life. Image analysis performed
during storage through the model of HSI, changes color image into black/white images
and elaborate them in grey level (Fig. 1).

(A) (B)

Figure 1. Image analysis as HSI (hue, saturation, intensity) on Marabel slices (A) and on Marabel slices
treated with EO (B) at 1, 5, 8 and 12 days (from left to right).

Changes captured by image analysis software (Fig. 1) are numerical expressed in Fig. 2. As
reported, the Hue value did not change during 12 days of storage in both samples for
control slices as for slices treated with EO; saturation decreased in control samples and

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showed a slight increase in slices with EO at 12 d. Also, intensity did not change
significantly.

Figure 2. Image analysis in HSI (hue, saturation, intensity) on potato slices during storage.

The addition of rosemary EO to potato slices significantly controlled, over the storage
period, the growth of mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae when compared to the
relative control samples. Differently, the yeast and mold population was not affected over
time by the EO (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Microbiological traits of fresh-cut potato slices as affected by ‘essential oil (EO) treatment × storage
time’ interaction.
[A]: TMB (total mesophilic bacteria); [B]: YM (yeasts and molds); [C]: TEB (Enterobacteriaceae).

The F values of sensory data Anova results were not shown. Table 1 reports the significant
sensory attributes (p ≤ 0.05) at each sampling time. The intensity (average value of ten
judge’s evaluations) was reported only for the significantly different attributes. The
attributes sour and floury (Table 2) significantly differentiated (p ≤ 0.05) for the control
samples during the cold storage. In particular, the attribute sour was absent until 5 d and
it increased from 8 d remaining constant after 12 d. Only the attribute sour significantly
differentiated the EO-treated samples. For these samples, the attribute sour had increased
after 8 days of storage.
Table 2 reports the comparison between control and EO-treated samples at 1 and 12 d.
Four attributes differentiated significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the samples: odor and flavor of
rosemary, sour and floury. Only the samples at 12 d were characterized by the attribute
sour, while the attribute floury was highest in the control at 12 d.

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Table 1. Mean scores of the significant sensory attributes.

Storage time (days)

Sample Attribute 1 5 8 12
a a ab b
Sour 1.0±0 * 1.0±0 1.5±0.92 2.1±1.58
Without EO a ab b b
Floury 2.6±1.69 4.0±1.48 4.6±2.37 4.5±2.01
a a b b
With EO Sour 1.0±0 1.0±0 3.0±2.00 2.7±1.79

*Values marked with different letters in the same row are significantly different (p≤0.05) according to the
LSD multiple comparison test.

Table 2. Mean scores of the significant sensory attributes (comparison during storage).

Attribute Marabel 1 d Marabel+EO 1 d Marabel 12 d Marabel+EO 12 d

a b a b
Rosemary odor 1.0±0 * 4.4±2.65 1.0±0 3.4±1.74
a a ab b
Sour 1.0±0 1.0±0 2.1±1.58 2.7±1.79
a ab b ab
Floury 2.6±1.78 3.4±1.96 4.5±2.01 3.9±1.81
a b a b
Rosemary flavor 1.0±0 5.8±1.99 1.0±0 4.9±1.45

*Values marked with different letters in the same row are significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) according to the
LSD multiple comparison test.

4. CONCLUSIONS

Joint use of dipping in EO, sous-vide technology and refrigerated condition allowed to
obtain a value-added product, safe and ready to cook. The attitude of the early potato
cultivar, ‘Marabel’ to be processed has been defined, confirmed by analyses performed
with appreciable characteristics for consumers.

REFERENCES
Garcia E.L. and Barrett D.M. 2002. Preservative treatments for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. In: O. Lamikanra ed.,
FreshCut Fruits and Vegetables. Science, Technology and Market, CRC Press, 267-303.

Hussain, A.I., Anwar F., Chatha S.A.S., Jabbar A., Mahboob S. and Nigam P.S. 2010. Rosmarinus Officinalis essential oil:
antiproliferative, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Braz. J. Microbiol., 41:1070-1078.

Lambert R.J.W., Skandamis P.N., Coote P. and Nychas G.J.E. 2001. A study of the minimum inhibitory concentration and
mode of action of oregano essential oil, thymol and carvacrol. J. Appl. Microbiol. 91:453-462.

Reyes L.F., Villarreal J.E. and Cisneros-Zavallos L. 2007. The increase in antioxidant capacity after wounding depends on
the type of fruit or vegetable tissue. Food Chem. 101: 1254–1262.

UNI 10957 2003. “Analisi sensoriale – Metodo per la definizione del profilo sensoriale degli alimenti e bevande”, Ente
Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione, Milano, Italia.

UNI EN ISO 8589 2010. “Analisi sensoriale – Guida generale per la progettazione di locali di prova”, Ente Nazionale
Italiano di Unificazione, Milano, Italia.

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