3.5. Sensory evaluation
All the sensory parameters moderately decreased during the
storage period Fig. 4. Fresh-cut cilantros visual appearance,
typical cilantro smell, texture, disease severity and overall
acceptability significantly changed (P < 0.05). Visual appear-
ance score decreased during storage. Degradation in
cilantro smell increased during storage period in both
non-treated samples (NT1 and NT2) and treated samples
(T1 and T2). However, the aroma of T1, T2 and NT2 did not
degrade to such an extent. Decrease in aroma of cilantro
is due to changes in the concentration of aroma volatiles
(Loaiza & Cantwell, 1997). No significant difference was
observed between T1, T2 and NT2 samples. Decay
was found in control sample on day 5, whereas no decay
was observed in T2 sample. Overall acceptability varied
significantly (P < 0.05) during storage in all the treated and
non-treated samples compared with each other. Sensory
attributes of combination treatment for fresh-cut cilantros
received the highest score by the panelists due to better
maintenance of the aroma, texture and visual appearance
than control and individual treated samples. In conclusion,
the shelf life was concluded on the basis of overall
acceptability score and the combined application of sodium
hypochlorite treatment and MAP can successfully stored
fresh-cut cilantros for 25 days.