Postharvest physiology of Corchorus olitorius baby leaf growing with different nutrient solutions

ABSTRACT

The storage at 4°C in darkness of Corchorus olitorius L. baby leaf as a ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable has been studied for the first time. C. olitorius was cultivated in a floating system with different nutrient solutions: standard (NS100%) or halved (NS50%). Several quality factors of this produce were evaluated during season (spring, summer, autumn) considering treatments and days of storage in order to understand the interactions. During storage, sucrose, total and reducing sugars, nitrate, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, chlorophylls, and carotenoids were measured. Results showed that chlorophylls decreased by 20–30% for both treatments and the changes were statistically different during spring. Carotenoid content did not change until the end of the storage and values ranged from 0.60 g kg⁻¹ to 0.75 g kg⁻¹ fresh weight depending on the season. Phenols and anthocyanins decreased within 10 days: −40% of phenols and −50% of anthocyanins, respectively. No interaction between nutrient solutions and storage behaviour was reported. Thus, C. olitorius resulted to be a good source of nutraceutical compounds and it is able to maintain these components during storage. Moreover, the public interest in regards to nutritional and healthy food is rapidly increasing, promoting the discovery of new vegetables, like C. olitorius, for RTE commercialisation.

KEYWORDS:

• RTE salad
• phenol content
• storage
• ethnic vegetable
• African vegetable

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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