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The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop improved processing technologies for cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, and sweetpotatoes that will benefit growers and processors in the U.S. Specific areas of interest will be: (1) to determine procedures to assure microbiological stability of new processing techniques for extending shelf life of vegetables and (2) to determine the effects of processing and storage on the flavor and textural quality of vegetables.
We will utilize commercial cultivars of these commodities that are currently grown in North Carolina and materials from breeding and evaluation programs at NC State University. The vegetables will be preserved and stored using acidification, fermentation, and/or refrigeration, along with appropriate pre-treatments, to improve the efficiency of processing and the quality attributes of vegetables. Sensory and instrumental evaluation of flavor and textural processed vegetables will be carried out. Pilot-scale or commercial trials to evaluate the potential for scale-up of laboratory results will be done either at NCSU facilities or at commercial processing facilities in the state.