Consideration of Maillard Reaction-Based Time–Temperature Indicator (TTI) to Visualize Shelf Life of Cold-Stored Strawberries

Abstract

In this paper, the potential of a Maillard reaction-based time–temperature indicator (TTI) as a device for the visualization of shelf life was evaluated by comparing the quality variations of cold-stored strawberries and the color changes of Maillard reaction solutions. The color variations of the Maillard reaction solutions stored in the same storage environment as the cold-stored strawberries showed suitable characteristics for the visualization of shelf life, such as pronounced color changes, a wide-ranging color variation rate, and activation energy. In particular, the concentrations of the reaction solutions with the combinations of 3.0 M D-xylose, 1.5 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4; 2.0 M D-xylose, 1.5 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4; and 4.0 M D-xylose, 1.0 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4 were suitable for the visualization of the weight loss variation, color difference variation, and appearance damage. These concentrations showed similar color variations and Arrhenius activation energies to the variation of the quality characteristics, such as weight loss and color difference. Additionally, a Maillard reaction-based time–temperature indicator (TTI) has a wide applicability to other agricultural products using the wide range of the color change rate and the activation energy.