Evaluation of UV and cleanroom conditions to improve the quality of gnocchi

In this research, the use of UV treatment, with and without the adoption of a cleanroom, was implemented at pilot scale to better preserve the quality of pasteurized gnocchi. To study the effects of these two mild techniques on gnocchi quality, microbiological, chemical, physical and sensory parameters were assessed during more than 1 year of storage at room temperature. As regard microbiological quality, all samples remained acceptable for the entire observation period because microbial and fungal counts remained very low. From the sensory point of view, the control gnocchi were found acceptable (score >5) up to about 10 months (300 days), whereas the UV-C treated samples and the gnocchi produced in the cleanroom remained acceptable for about 360 days and 400 days, respectively. From the chemical point of view, the use of the cleanroom with the high volumetric flow rate allowed a better preservation of the total polyphenol content (decrease 36.7% compared to 81–90% in other treatments) and of the volatile organic compounds that are responsible for the aromatic profile of gnocchi as aldehydes, ketones and sesquiterpenoids