Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables
Shelf life of horticultural commodities is dependent on postharvest handling but also on a wide range of pre-harvest factors, which include genetic and environmental parameters. This study was conducted to explore the influence of cultivar, leaf position, and piece position on the leaf on visual qua...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/172 |
| _version_ | 1818418156988792832 |
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| author | Athanasios Koukounaras Filippos Bantis Nikolaos Karatolos Christos Melissas Antonios Vezyroglou |
| author_facet | Athanasios Koukounaras Filippos Bantis Nikolaos Karatolos Christos Melissas Antonios Vezyroglou |
| author_sort | Athanasios Koukounaras |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Shelf life of horticultural commodities is dependent on postharvest handling but also on a wide range of pre-harvest factors, which include genetic and environmental parameters. This study was conducted to explore the influence of cultivar, leaf position, and piece position on the leaf on visual quality of fresh-cut butterhead lettuce as well as the effect of a wide range of cultivation seasons on the postharvest quality and shelf life of baby leaves (spinach and ‘wild’ rocket). Six butterhead lettuce cultivars were used (cultivated soilless in an unheated plastic greenhouse) while the effect of leaf position on the plant (outer and inner leaves) and the piece position on the leaf (piece one close to the leaf base and piece four close to the top) were also evaluated. Baby leaves were cultivated under an unheated plastic greenhouse for winter production and under a nethouse for the rest of the growing season, with a total of five and seven sampling dates for spinach and ‘wild’ rocket respectively. The cultivar of butterhead lettuce had a significant effect on postharvest quality of fresh-cut product but more important was the piece position on the leaf. When this was closer to the base of the leaf, there was more browning on cut edges and limited shelf life for the fresh-cut lettuce. The result was associated in one tested cultivar with PAL activity, which was higher by 106% for piece one compared to piece four as an average for the whole storage period. The growing season of baby leaves had a great impact on their shelf life, with the season of mild environmental conditions achieving the highest marketability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:18:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe1ea136653546c19d5de3c0c3942a10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:18:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe1ea136653546c19d5de3c0c3942a102022-12-21T23:01:35ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-01-0110217210.3390/agronomy10020172agronomy10020172Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy VegetablesAthanasios Koukounaras0Filippos Bantis1Nikolaos Karatolos2Christos Melissas3Antonios Vezyroglou4Department of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceVezyroglou Farm, Alexandria, 59300 Imathia, GreeceDepartment of Horticulture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceVezyroglou Farm, Alexandria, 59300 Imathia, GreeceShelf life of horticultural commodities is dependent on postharvest handling but also on a wide range of pre-harvest factors, which include genetic and environmental parameters. This study was conducted to explore the influence of cultivar, leaf position, and piece position on the leaf on visual quality of fresh-cut butterhead lettuce as well as the effect of a wide range of cultivation seasons on the postharvest quality and shelf life of baby leaves (spinach and ‘wild’ rocket). Six butterhead lettuce cultivars were used (cultivated soilless in an unheated plastic greenhouse) while the effect of leaf position on the plant (outer and inner leaves) and the piece position on the leaf (piece one close to the leaf base and piece four close to the top) were also evaluated. Baby leaves were cultivated under an unheated plastic greenhouse for winter production and under a nethouse for the rest of the growing season, with a total of five and seven sampling dates for spinach and ‘wild’ rocket respectively. The cultivar of butterhead lettuce had a significant effect on postharvest quality of fresh-cut product but more important was the piece position on the leaf. When this was closer to the base of the leaf, there was more browning on cut edges and limited shelf life for the fresh-cut lettuce. The result was associated in one tested cultivar with PAL activity, which was higher by 106% for piece one compared to piece four as an average for the whole storage period. The growing season of baby leaves had a great impact on their shelf life, with the season of mild environmental conditions achieving the highest marketability.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/172lettucespinachrocketshelf lifecolorpal activitybrowningyellowing |
| spellingShingle | Athanasios Koukounaras Filippos Bantis Nikolaos Karatolos Christos Melissas Antonios Vezyroglou Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables Agronomy lettuce spinach rocket shelf life color pal activity browning yellowing |
| title | Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables |
| title_full | Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables |
| title_short | Influence of Pre-Harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut and Baby Leafy Vegetables |
| title_sort | influence of pre harvest factors on postharvest quality of fresh cut and baby leafy vegetables |
| topic | lettuce spinach rocket shelf life color pal activity browning yellowing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/172 |
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