Treating asparagus spears with a 1.1MPa mixture of Ar
and Xe (2:9, v:v) for 24 h at 4 1C extended their shelf-life.In
the storage of asparagus spear, CNG was superior to cold
storage with respect to all the indices.Compared to the
MAP treatment with optimal initial gas composition (5%
O2 and 5% CO2), the CNG treatment restrained the
respiration peak, crude fiber formation and cell membrane
permeability.The microstructure indicated that Ar and Xe
remained in the product as micropores. Further research is
needed to cover the economic aspects for practical
applications.