Prolonging the shelf life of fresh root vegetables.

摘要

The shelf life of root crops such as raw carrots can be substantially increased by subjecting the raw carrots, in one embodiment, to a process including (a) a mild heat treatment effective to reduce the microflora of the carrots but not to adversely affect the organoleptic qualities of the raw carrots, (b) the rapid cooling of the heat treated vegetable and (c) placing the vegetable in a sealed container to prevent microbial recontamination and maintain the vegetable in a viable condition. In another embodiment, the process includes subjecting the carrots to a vacuum, breaking the vacuum in the presence of water and placing the vegetable in a sealed container to prevent microbial recontamination and maintain the vegetable in a viable condition.