Influence of Postharvest Storage Temperature and Duration on Quality of Baby Spinach
| Autor: | Fhatuwani N. Mudau, Wonder Ngezimana, Ambani R. Mudau, Puffy Soundy, Hintsa T. Araya, Mpumelelo Nkomo |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | HortTechnology. 25:665-670 |
| ISSN: | 1943-7714 1063-0198 |
| DOI: | 10.21273/horttech.25.5.665 |
| Popis: | B spinach (Spinacia oleracea L) is a member of the Amaranthaceae family. Its leaves have a very high respiration rate thus post-harvest quality is affected mostly by tissue decay and the development of off-odours. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the influence of storage temperature and time on the post-harvest quality of baby spinach. Baby spinach leaves were harvested at 36 days after planting and subsequently stored at 4 C or 22 C for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 days. Thereafter the leaves were incubated for 72 hours at 40 C to dry. Minerals, trace elements, total phenols, total carotenoids, flavonoids and antioxidant activities were measured. Composition of magnesium, zinc and iron declined after 8 days of storage at 4 C whilst at 22 C, they declined after 2 days of storage. Magnesium, zinc and iron revealed a similar trend with significantly higher carotenoids found up to 6 days in storage at 4 C whilst at 22 C the carotenoid levels declined after only 2 days. Total phenolic compounds gradually decreased in samples stored at 4 C. However, samples stored at 22 C showed a rapid decrease after 4 days. Both total antioxidant activities and Vitamin C content showed a similar trend with the content remaining constant at 4 C and decreasing after 6 days, whereas the total antioxidant activities and vitamin C for leaves stored at 22 C decreased immediately after 2 days. However, storage time and temperature did not exhibit significant effects on selenium. Results demonstrated that quality of baby spinach deteriorates as storage time and temperature increase. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|