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Suitability for Ready‐to‐Eat Processing and Preservation of Six Green and Red Baby Leaves Cultivars and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Value during Storage and after the Expiration Date
Author(s) -
Fadda Angela,
Pace Bernardo,
Angioni Alberto,
Barberis Antonio,
Cefola Maria
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/jfpp.12634
Subject(s) - cultivar , postharvest , expiration date , horticulture , antioxidant , food science , biology , chemistry , biochemistry
Abstract The physiological and chemical traits of three red ( MS 151, C opacabana and E xcellent) and three green ( O rtis 398, S ummerbell and B abybell) baby leaf lettuce cultivars were evaluated during postharvest cold storage. In addition, their potential use as a source of antioxidants, after the expiration date, was also investigated. Red cultivars showed the best performance in terms of nutritional and physiological parameters. In particular, the antioxidant activity was 11‐fold higher in red than in green baby leaf lettuces. Moreover, O rtis 398, MS 151 and C opacabana, showing the lowest values for respiration rate, ammonium accumulation and electrolyte leakage, were selected as suitable for ready‐to‐eat processing and preservation. Finally, the cultivars O rtis 398, MS 151 and E xcellent were found to be of interest for the extraction of antioxidants due to their high phenol content. Practical Applications The selection of the most appropriate cultivars for ready‐to‐eat ( RTE ) salads is of primary importance in order to have good quality, to reduce storage losses and to have, after the expiration date, a produce still exploitable for the extraction of phytochemicals. Ortis 398, MS 151 and C opacabana were selected, among the studied new baby leaves cultivars, for their particular aptitude for RTE processing. In addition, because RTE lettuce remains often unsold due to the loss of its fresh appearance, our results suggest the possibility to re‐utilize the waste (after the expiration date) as a source of antioxidants. This could represent a practical application opportunity for the food industry. With this aim, the cultivars O rtis 398, MS 151 and E xcellent were selected for their high content in total polyphenols even after the expiration date.