INTECIN   20395
INSTITUTO DE TECNOLOGIAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA INGENIERIA "HILARIO FERNANDEZ LONG"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
CONSUMER ACCEPTABILITY AND IMPACT OF HANDLING CONDITIONS ON SENSORY, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF BEET LEAVES
Autor/es:
FERNÁNDEZ, M.V; AGÜERO, M.V.; JAGUS, R.J.; FERNÁNDEZ, M.V; AGÜERO, M.V.; JAGUS, R.J.
Revista:
American Journal of Food Technology
Editorial:
Academic Journals Inc.
Referencias:
Año: 2017 vol. 12 p. 301 - 310
ISSN:
1557-4571
Resumen:
Background and Objective: Beet leaves (BL) constitute a currently wasted but highly nutritious resource. The aims of this study were to assess Argentineans consumer habits towards beet greens (BG), to determine how information affects consumers? acceptability and to assess the impact of storage conditions on BG quality and shelf-life. Materials and Methods: A web-online survey was conducted and data of 416 respondents were analyzed. Then, quality evolution under different storage conditions (A: 25±1°C and 60-62% of relative humidity (RH); B: 5±1°C and 97-99%RH) were followed. Results: Most consumers (79%) don´t use BL due to the poor state at retailers and/or the lack of knowledge about their nutritional value, but when this information was provided, acceptability significantly increased. BL quality was severely affected by storage conditions. ?A? Condition introduces a rapid drop in sensory quality, losses of 60-82% in bioactives, complete loss of antioxidant activity (in 9d) and severe injure of microbiological quality. Conversely, at ?B? condition significantly lower losses in quality attributes were detected, reaching a shelf-life extension of at least 14d. Conclusions: Development of a product based on BL requires the improvement of handling conditions as well as increasing efforts to inform consumers about their benefits. Through this recovery, economic, environmental and social profits could be achieved.