The thermal treatment did not affect L* and a*, and the visual color of SJ at pH 3.0 or below. However, other samples at higher pH browned to different extents 10 d after thermal treatment. Higher pH resulted in browner color (Table 1). Accordingly, L* was significantly decreased by thermal treatment; higher pH resulted in lower L* after heating (Fig. 3). However, a* did not show a similar trend. Thermal treatment significantly decreased a* only when the pH was below 6.0. a* did not significantly change at higher pH probably because the a* of SJ decreased to some limited level with increasing pH before heating. The thermal treatment could not make further reduction.