Onion Peel Steam Distillate as a Novel Anti-browning Agent for Use in Fresh Cut Potato Cubes.

Enzymatic browning is always crucial for maintaining the visual quality of freshly cut vegetables. A high amount of onion peel waste is generated in the food industry globally, and it is rich source of various phytochemicals, possessing different biochemical properties. In this study, onion peel steam distillate has been used as a potential anti-browning agent to inhibit the browning-causing enzymes, i.e. polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), in potato cubes. Studies with different extract-to-material ratio and treatment time were conducted to identify the optimum conditions for the pre-treatment process. Long-chain hydrocarbons tetratetracontane were found in the onion peel steam distillate which was found to inhibit the activity of PPO (84.78 ± 0.11%) and POD (21.30 ± 0.33%) in fresh cut potato cubes. Onion peel steam distillate was found to maintain the CIE colour values (<italic>L*</italic>, <italic>a*</italic>, <italic>b*</italic>) and total phenolic content during storage of potato cubes at 4 ± 1 °C for a period of 8 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]