ศูนย์นวัตกรรมเทคโนโลยีหลังการเก็บเกี่ยว

Effect of processing on the ascorbic acid content and visual quality of fresh cut lettuce.

Chiesa, A., Massa, A., Filiippini de Delfino, S., Frezza, D. and Moccia, S.

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 553: 699-700.

2001

บทคัดย่อ

Field experiments were conducted in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the autumn-winter season of 1998 to study the effect of processing on the postharvest quality of 4 types of lettuce, namely, leafy (cv. Grand Rapids Waldman Green), latin (cv. Gallega), crisphead (cv. Climax) and butterhead (cv. Floresta). The four lettuce types exhibited higher ascorbic acid content in intact leaves than in cut leaves. The conservation conditions maintained optimal oxygen and temperature levels, while the oxidation and degradation of ascorbic acid were greater in the cut leaves than in the intact ones. Based on the cultivars vs. processing interaction, the difference in ascorbic acid content between intact and cut preserved lettuce leaves was 20% in butterhead, latin and crisphead lettuces. The greatest difference between intact and cut leaves was found in the butterhead and latin lettuce types after 3 days of storage. The highest visual quality was observed in leafy and latin lettuce leaves and the lowest in butterhead and crisphead leaves. As a whole, the visual quality remained acceptable for marketing, although there were losses of nutritional quality. For every lettuce type, the cut leaves showed lower relative water content than intact leaves. The effects of modified atmosphere on postharvest lettuce quality differed between the cut and intact leaves, and the difference varied with lettuce type. The deterioration in visual and nutritional quality was most evident in butterhead lettuce, which showed the highest tendency to wilt. Ascorbic acid content significantly decreased on the third day of storage.