Articles
Harvest and postharvest performance of underutilized microgreens
Article number
1442_48
Pages
359 – 368
Language
English
Abstract
Five wild or locally cultivated genotypes, from the Brassicaceae (Cima di rapa, Spigariello, Mugnolo), Portulacaceae (purslane) and Asteraceae (Cicoriella) families, were hydroponically grown under controlled conditions, to evaluate their performance both at harvest and during the postharvest phase as fresh-cut microgreens.
Bio-visual traits – fresh yield, dry matter concentration (DM) and color indices as lightness (L*) and hue angle (h°) – along with compositional analyses (cations, nitrate, phenols, vitamin C, glucosinolates) were evaluated in both raw materials and cut-microgreens, cold-stored for 7 days.
The fresh product was packaged in PET salad containers (250 mL). Raw purslane stood out with a notable visual quality (assessed by color parameters, the lowest L*, the highest h°), texture (assessed by DM, 87.4 g kg‑1 fw), vitamin C (30 mg 100 g‑1 fw), Mg (39 mg 100 g‑1 fw) and shallow nitrate content (6.8 mg 100 g‑1 fw). Since these attributes remained stable after storage, purslane emerged as a promising species for fresh-cut microgreen production.
Raw Spigariello (broccoli landrace) showed an interesting potential in terms of productivity, visual quality, texture, and nutritional profile (the highest level of K, Mg, Ca, and phenols – 95 mg a.g.e. 100 g‑1 fw). When stored as a fresh-cut product, Spigariello microgreens showed the highest total weight losses (2.2 g 100 g‑1 fw), the highest increase of CO2 and decrease of O2 levels in headspace gases, and the highest loss of texture (-15%, DM). Cicoriella (wild-type chicory) and Cima di rapa (rapini landrace), also showed promise as raw microgreens, but are less suitable for fresh-cut application.
Mugnolo (local broccoli) proved to be the least suitable for microgreen production due to its i) high Na/K ratio (2.3); ii) generally low contents of minerals and antioxidant; iii) significant color degradation during storage (the greatest L* increase and h° decrease). The findings of this study provide valuable insights for selecting underutilized species for microgreen production, particularly as fresh-cut product.
Bio-visual traits – fresh yield, dry matter concentration (DM) and color indices as lightness (L*) and hue angle (h°) – along with compositional analyses (cations, nitrate, phenols, vitamin C, glucosinolates) were evaluated in both raw materials and cut-microgreens, cold-stored for 7 days.
The fresh product was packaged in PET salad containers (250 mL). Raw purslane stood out with a notable visual quality (assessed by color parameters, the lowest L*, the highest h°), texture (assessed by DM, 87.4 g kg‑1 fw), vitamin C (30 mg 100 g‑1 fw), Mg (39 mg 100 g‑1 fw) and shallow nitrate content (6.8 mg 100 g‑1 fw). Since these attributes remained stable after storage, purslane emerged as a promising species for fresh-cut microgreen production.
Raw Spigariello (broccoli landrace) showed an interesting potential in terms of productivity, visual quality, texture, and nutritional profile (the highest level of K, Mg, Ca, and phenols – 95 mg a.g.e. 100 g‑1 fw). When stored as a fresh-cut product, Spigariello microgreens showed the highest total weight losses (2.2 g 100 g‑1 fw), the highest increase of CO2 and decrease of O2 levels in headspace gases, and the highest loss of texture (-15%, DM). Cicoriella (wild-type chicory) and Cima di rapa (rapini landrace), also showed promise as raw microgreens, but are less suitable for fresh-cut application.
Mugnolo (local broccoli) proved to be the least suitable for microgreen production due to its i) high Na/K ratio (2.3); ii) generally low contents of minerals and antioxidant; iii) significant color degradation during storage (the greatest L* increase and h° decrease). The findings of this study provide valuable insights for selecting underutilized species for microgreen production, particularly as fresh-cut product.
Authors
A. Bonasia, C. Lazzizera, P. La Rotonda, A. Elia, G. Conversa
Keywords
fresh-cut storage, mugnoli, purslane, wild chicory, rapini
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