Marita Cantwell, UC Davis micantwell@ucdavis.edu http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu UCCE Vegetable Pest Management and Postharvest Issues Santa Maria, June 9, 2010
Leafy Vegetables
Lettuces Spinach Cabbage Chard Broccoli Celery Herbs Endives Asparagus Green Onions Water loss Mechanical damage Loss of chlorophyll and other nutrients Respiration rates Microbial growth Sensitivity to ethylene
Growth and development Transpiration Mechanical injury Physiological disorders Decay; microbial growth
Specialty Brassicas
Compare postharvest performance to broccoli
Cauliflower --needs postharvest work Cabbage Quality and Temperature Lettuce Varieties
Fresh-cut performance
Fresh appearance Green florets Tender stem No discoloration No breakage No decay No off-odors
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 32 2.5 36
5 41
7.5 45
10 12.5 15 50 55 59
20C 68F
Storage temperature
4
mg/100g FW
Carotenoids
20 15 10 5 0 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 5 10
Limit of Salability
Ascorbic Acid
mg/100 gFW
25 20 15 10 5 0
Sugars
mg/100 g FW
15
20
25
10
15
20
25
Days
Cantwell, unpublished
Days
Loss of green color by mature and immature Kale leaves stored at 4 temperatures for up to 18 days.
Mature Kale Leaves
Color score, 5=dark green, 1=yellow
5
1 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 0
LSD.05
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Days
Days
10C Air
10C C2H4
Collards
5C Air
10C Air
10C C2H4
12 days; 8 ppm C2H4; 500 ppb 1-MCP
A. Chlorophyll
280 240
Chlorophyll, mg/g FW
0.7
Vitamin C, mg/100g FW
0.4
0.3
B. Sugar
15 14
B. Glucoraphinin
Glucoraphinin, mole/g DW
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 LSD.05
Sugar, mg/g FW
5 LSD.05 4
3 0 5 10 15
6 5 0 5 10 15
Days
Days
Specialty Brassicas Comparative Study Gai-lan Marketable quality Choi-sum Compositional quality Broccoli raab, rapini Response to Temperature Broccolini Response to atmospheres
Broccoli raab
Initial Component Total sugars, mg/gFW Ammonia, mole/100gFW Antioxidant activity
mg Trolox/100g FW
Florets 5C, 8d 4.5 1.4 100 176 10C 8d 3.7 2.3 92 112
Stem Tissue Initial 17.4 0.5 47 87 5C 8d 14.4 1.0 43 86 10C 8d 12.0 1.1 32 88
Vitamin C, mg/100g FW
3.5
Ammonia concentration
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Days
AMMONIA INCREASE %
AMMONIA INCREASE
GS TOT
39
TOTAL GS ACTIVITY
37 35 33 31 29 27 25 5C 10C
450
A. Ethanol
Air 3%O2+7%CO2 3%O2+12%CO2 3%O2+18%CO2 10%O2+12%CO2 LSD.05
90 80 70
B. Acetaldehyde
Test #2
mole/100g FW
mole/100g FW
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
80 70 60
C. Ammonia
70 65
D. Sugars
g/g FW
50 40 30
g/g FW
60
55
50 20 10 0 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 0 3 6 9 45
12
15
18
Days at 5C
Days at 5C
18 days at 5C (41F)
Air=Best quality
A
3+7
B
3+12
C
3+18 DAMAGING
D
10+12
E
Air
Iceless Broccoli
Temperature-yellowing Moisture loss-softening
Table 1. Broccoli head firmness and compactness scoring and the relationship to firmness measurements on texture analyzer. This table based on preliminary 2009 data. Description Subjective score 5 4 3 2 1 Heads hard, very tight and firm Heads firm, a few outer florets may be loosened Heads moderately firm, with some florets loosened** Heads moderately soft, with most florets loosened Heads soft, with extensive loosening of florets Objective firmness N compression force* 65-100N 50-80 40-60 25-40 10-25
*Heads compressed with a flat disc to a depth of 7.5 mm **A score of 3 is likely the limit of marketability at retail.
A. % Weight Loss
8 7 6
% Weight loss
5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3
Curve 1 original firmness technique Curve 2, modified technique, mark % Firmness Loss 100 B.
90 4 80
Days at 7.5C
% Firmness loss
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Minimize delay from harvest to cooling Use plastic liners to reduce water loss Keep it cold
Curve 1 original firmness technique Curve 2, modified technique, mark
Days at 7.5C
14 days air
2.5C (36F)
5C (41F)
7.5C (45F)
14 days 5C (41F)
5% O2
5% O2 + 7.5% CO2
5% O2 + 15% CO2
14d 5C
Air
Quality Problems
Graying Loss of fluid Off-odor
Cauliflower Quality
color is cream white freedom from mechanical injury freedom from decay overall attractive appearance no discoloration on cut edges minimal number of small pieces; good integrity of cut florets good aroma and odor as fresh or microwaved food retain high content of sugars and Vitamin C
RESEARCH TO DO Evaluate the performance of cultivars for quality of fresh market and fresh-cut product Evaluate the impact of initial postharvest handling on the shelf-life and quality of fresh-cut cauliflower florets. Evaluate the impact of production conditions (seasonablity, fertilization, irrigation) on the quality and shelf-life of cauliflower florets
140 120
A. Heads
Respiration (L CO2/g-h)
100 80 60 40 20 0 1 2 3 4
B. Florets
Days
Days
150
100
Cv #1= T-740 2= Yuki 3= Spring Flavor 4= Southern King 5= New Summer 6= Chacha 7= China Express 8= Blues 9= WR-70
50
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Black speck development on Napa cabbage stored in air or in ethylene is the same. PAL enzyme levels similar; 1MCP does not reduce black speck. Cultivars vary greatly in their susceptibility to black speck.
Cultivar
Retail handlinggood to poor conditions Impact on marketability and nutritional value conditions to retain 80% original nutrition Vitamin C, Antioxidant Activity, Carotenoids Wide range of temperatures (0-29C; 32-84F) Cabbage performs well over temp rangeshould be available in all WIC stores
Fresh-cut Lettuces
Varieties of Iceberg, Romaine and Crosses
Performance as fresh-cut product Visual quality score Discoloration Decay Respiration rates Phenolics and phenolic enzymes (PAL, PPO) Composition Number leaves per head % dry weight Sugars Chlorophyll and carotenoids Vitamin C Ammonia
Romaine lettuce
Total sugars
0 days 7 days
15
LSD.05 10
30
LSD.05
20
10
Heart Inner
Young
Midsize
Heart Inner
Young
Midsize
Leaf Position
Leaf Position
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1=Sonoma 2=Spreckles 3=Salinas 521 4=Raider 5=Salinas 517 6=Buena Vista 7=Stinger 8=Van Sal 210 9=Salinas 10=Ace 11=Champ 12=Salinas 88 13=Ridgemark
A. Iceberg Lettuces
B. Romaine Lettuces
1=Paris Island Cos 2=Romo 3=Red Eye Cos 4=Gx800 5=Corazon 6=Red Hot Cos 7=Nero
10
11
12
13
Variety
Variety
Development of Russet Spot Disorder on Iceberg and Romaine Lettuces. Intact heads were stored in 5ppm ethylene at 5C (41F) plus 1 week in air.
Cantwell, UC Davis, unpublished