Abstract

Brassica vegetables are consumed year-round as raw salad or cooked ingredients. Four Brassica species were selected for this study, broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), broccoli raab (Brassica rapa L.), choisum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis), and gailan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra). While there is abundant information about broccoli, research on gailan, choisum and broccoli raabis very limited. The effect of CA (3% O2 alone or in combination with 7 or 15% CO2, 1% O2 alone or combined with 15% CO2) and air on marketable quality (overall visual, yellowing, discoloration, decay) and chemical parameters (antioxidant activity, chlorophyll, sugar, fermentative volatiles, and ammonia content) during storage at 5°C was evaluated. Products were obtained from a wholesaler, washed in chlorinated water, trimmed into florets and placed in unsealed polyethylene bags that were held in polycarbonate chambers through which humidified air or the controlled atmospheres flowed. Visual quality was evaluated after 0, 8, 12, 16 and20 days, while chemical parameters were measured after 0, 8, 16 days. Generally, CA treatments did not affect the antioxidant activity, chlorophyll or sugar concentrations in any of the specialty brassicas studied. On the other hand, both ammonia content and visual quality evaluations were affected by atmosphere composition. Florets stored in low oxygen (3% O2) often had the best visual qualitybut generally all atmospheres maintained better marketable quality than air storage. The 3% oxygen CA improved marketability to about 16 days. Low oxygen delayed postharvest and post-cutting deterioration of florets from all Brassica species, and based on changes in ammonia concentrations, was considered beneficial to maintain quality of fresh-cut brassicas stored at 5°C.

Autore Pugliese

• Pace Bernardo , Cefola Maria

Tutti gli autori

• M. Cefola; B. Pace; G. Colelli; M. Catwell

Titolo volume/Rivista

Acta horticulturae

Anno di pubblicazione

2015

ISSN

0567-7572

ISBN

978-94-62610-62-0

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

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Numero di citazioni Scopus

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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