Abstract: To explore the effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on the storage quality of postharvest chives, the changes in the microbial load and storage quality of postharvest chives subjected to SAEW immersion treatment at different concentrations (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L) for 5 minutes were analyzed during low temperature ((4 ± 1) ℃) storage. The results showed that immersion treatment with 200 mg/L SAEW was more effective in maintaining the organoleptic quality of chives and inhibiting the increase of the total number of colonies when compared with the other groups. Furthermore, 200 mg/L SAEW treatment was able to inhibit the increase of mass loss and rot rate, slow down the decrease of chlorophyll, vitamin C, soluble sugar, and soluble protein contents, and reduce the accumulation of total free amino acids, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite in chives. It is evident that immersion treatment with 200 mg/L SAEW can not only effectively inhibit microbial growth on chives during low-temperature storage, but also effectively delay the loss of nutrients in chives, thus improving the quality preservation of chives. Therefore, SAEW can be used as an effective sterilization and preservation method to maintain the storage quality and delay the aging process of postharvest chives.

Key words: slightly acidic electrolyzed water; chive; sterilization; storage quality