Effect of visible light treatments on postharvest senescence of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.)

AGUSTIN M BÜCHERT; MARIA E GÓMEZ LOBATO; NATALIA M VILLARREAL; PEDRO M CIVELLO; GUSTAVO A MARTÍNEZ

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD

Año: 2011 vol. 91 p. 355 - 361

0022-5142

BACKGROUND: Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) is a rapidly perishablevegetable crop. Several postharvest treatments have been applied in order todelay de-greening. Since light has been shown to have an effect on pigmentaccumulation during development and darkness is known to inducesenescence, the effect of continuous and periodic exposure to low-intensitywhite light at 22 ºC on postharvest senescence of broccoli heads was assayed.RESULTS: Exposure to a constant dose of 12 μmolm−2 s−1 was selected as themost suitable treatment and was employed for subsequent experiments. Duringthe course of the treatments, hue and L* values as well as chlorophyll contentand visual observation of florets indicated an evident delay in yellowing intreated samples compared with controls. No statistically significant differencesin total protein content were found, but soluble protein content was higher intreated samples. Total and reducing sugar as well as starch levels decreasedduring postharvest senescence, with lower values in control samples.CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that storage under continuouslow-intensity light is an efficient and low-cost treatment that delays postharvestsenescence while maintaining the quality of harvested broccoli florets.