Brassicas

HASPERUE JOAQUIN; MASSOLO FACUNDO; MARTÍNEZ, GUSTAVO ADOLFO

Postharvest Physiological Disorders in Fruits and Vegetables

CRC Press

Año: 2019; p. 531 - 548

Brassicas are one of the most important crops in theworld, providing a variety of products through its different species, being themost important Brassica oleracea. Its importance lies not only in its particular tastebut in its nutraceutical compounds, among others, ascorbic acid andglucosinolates, molecules with known anticancer properties. There are severalfactors that act in detriment of Brassicas quality, among them, thephysiological disorders. The deficiency of minerals or nutritional imbalancesdue to a fast growing can trigger physiological problems such as tipburn, brownbead and hollow stem, typical of this family. On the other hand, the process ofsenescence is inevitable and is of paramount importance to take into accounttools to delay its evolution. Another factor that directly affects the cellularfunctions is the presence of ethylene since this hormone promotes maturation andsenescence through processes such as abscission, chlorophyll degradation, andtissue softening. Prolonged exposure to sunlight in hot seasons can adverselyaffect the quality of these vegetables (sun damage). Thermal oscillations cancontribute to or exacerbate the effects of sun damage and can influence theappearance of disorders like riciness or fuzziness in cauliflower. The browningprocess, attributable to numerous causes, can develop black speck, veinstreaking, and black midrib. Studying the most important defects of postharvestcruciferous plants and understanding their origin is essential to advance inimproving postharvest quality. Proper crop management and handling ofhorticultural products, combined with appropriate conservation technologies (temperature,modified or controlled atmospheres, UV light, hormonal regulators, geneticengineering) can counteract or mitigate physiological disorders and,consequently, maintain the quality of these products during storage.