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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Nowadays, consumers are looking for healthy, convenient and more sustainable foods
with different organoleptic properties of those daily consumed. Wild edible plants can
contribute to this demand, since they are important inputs of health-promoting
compounds and considered as added-value foods for commercialization [1]. A good
example is buckler sorrel (Rumex induratus Boiss. & Reut.), an underutilized leafy
vegetable appreciated especially in salads due to its peculiar sensory properties [2]. Its
revalorisation is therefore a sustainable strategy to improve the diversity of available
foods and can be achieved by improving their shelf-life for an extended period of
commercialization. Using modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), compositional
changes associated with maturation and senescence can be delayed and the initial fresh
state and quality prolonged. Inert gases such as argon and nitrogen have been tested,
but the literature describing their application and benefits is still limited [3]. In this study,
buckler sorrel specimens, sustainable wild harvested in the Northeast region of Portugal,
were rinsed in tap water and submitted to different packaging atmospheres: MAP
enriched with argon and nitrogen, air-packaging, and vacuum-packaging (no
atmosphere). Colour, nutrients, hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds, and antioxidant
properties were analyzed after gathering and past 12 days of storage at 4 ºC. The
results were evaluated through a categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA)
in order to find the most suitable atmosphere. Nitrogen-enriched MAP did not induced
detachable effects on the evaluated parameters. Air-packaging preserved higher
amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly due to linoleic and linolenic acids).
Vacuum-packaged samples showed higher amounts of γ-tocopherol, monounsaturated
fatty acids and flavonoids and similar results were found for argon-enriched MAP, with
the additional advantage of their higher antioxidant properties. Thus, this study highlights
argon-enriched MAP as a suitable treatment to preserve the overall quality of buckler
sorrel during cold storage.
Description
Keywords
Buckler sorrel Preservation Packaging atmospheres Fatty acids Flavonoids Tocopherols
Citation
Pinela, José; Barreira, João C.M.; Barros, Lillian; Carvalho, Ana Maria; Oliveira, M.B.P.P.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. (2015). Argon-enriched atmospheres preserve the overall quality of buckler sorrel during cold storage. In XXIV Encontro Nacional da Sociedade Portuguesa de Química. Coimbra
Publisher
SPQ - Sociedade Portuguesa de Química