Abstract: Cauliflower was stored under different levels of pressure (20.3, 40.5, 60.7, 80.1 kPa and 101.3 kPa) at (1.0 ± 0.5) ℃, and the effect of hypobaric treatment on physiological properties of cauliflower during storage was studied. Compared with the control (101.3 kPa), hypobaric treatment at 60.7 kPa decreased respiration rate by 43%, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity by 28.8% and peroxide dismutase (POD) activity by 32.7% and increased vitamin C content by 55.6%, and the browning index of treated cauliflower was only 0.21 after 40 days of storage. Therefore, appropriate pressure treatment can delay the browning and senescence of cauliflower tissue with good fresh-keeping effect.

Key words: cauliflower, hypobaric treatment, storage, physiological properties