Ozonated water and chlorine effects on the antioxidant properties of organic and conventional broccoli during postharvest

Abstract

There is growing interest in studies on sanitizers other than chlorine that can maintain the quality of organic products without affecting their phytochemical content. The effects of using chlorinated and ozonized water treatments, as sanitizing procedures, on the post-harvest quality of organic and conventional broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) cv. Italica was evaluated. The biochemical parameters (chlorophyll, polyphenols, fl avonoids, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity) of the broccoli samples were analyzed at day 0 (arrival of the plant from the fi eld, original features), and 1, 4 and 7 days after harvest. The polyamine analysis was performed on arrival of the plant from the fi eld and on the fi rst and seventh days. The cultivation procedure infl uenced polyphenol, vitamin C and total chlorophyll content, and the highest value was observed in organic broccoli after the fourth day. Flavenoid content was higher in organic broccoli. The use of ozone appears not to have had an infl uence on the amount of polyphenolic, fl avonoids and vitamin C during storage. Total chlorophyll content was less affected by ozonized water than by the chlorine treatment as at the fi rst and fourth days of storage. The highest content of putrescine was found in conventional broccoli, while the highest levels of spermidine and spermine were found in organic broccoli. Antioxidant capacity was highest in organic broccoli after day 4 of storage and was affected by the bioactive compounds analyzed. Methods of cultivation infl uenced natural antioxidant and chlorophyll contents in broccoli under cold storage.

Influence of ozonated water sanitation on postharvest quality of conventionally and organically cultivated mangoes after postharvest storage

“…Palmer, with or without sanitization during the storage in cold chamber or simulated marketing. Other studies have confirmed the efficiency of using ozone for sanitation (Karaca and Velioglu, 2007), as reported for broccoli (Lima et al, 2014) and papaya (Yeoh et al, 2014).…”

“…To sanitize vegetable foods, some products including chlorine gas, sodium or calcium hypochlorite and organic chlorine should be avoided because they form carcinogenic chlorinated compounds such as trihalomethanes that cause serious problems to human health and the environment (Yeoh et al, 2014). In this context, ozonated water has emerged as a safe form of sanitization in various plant products such as broccoli (Lima et al, 2014), honey pineapple, banana, and guava (Alothman et al, 2010), papaya (Yeoh et al, 2014).…”

“…Some studies have shown that the exposure of some fruits and vegetables to ozone increases the content of total phenols (González-Aguilar et al, 2007;Alothman et al, 2010;Yeoh et al, 2014) and other molecules with antioxidant activity (Lima et al, 2014). Ozone causes an oxidative action and in the plant may be harmful because of the production of free radicals.…”

Effects on Water Management and Quality Characteristics of Ozone Application in Chicory Forcing Process: A Pilot System

“…Many fresh-to-eat food products showed an antioxidant increase after ozone treatment in a modified atmosphere [36,37], whereas in terms of ozonized water, the answer seems to be also linked to the species used. Some experiments [34] reported that treating broccoli with ozonized water did not alter phenols and antioxidants content. In this experiment, instead, the water treatment increased the amount of antioxidants in the whole plant and the commercial product.…”

“…However, O 3 is often employed directly on the product in gaseous form, with modified atmosphere [31], or as a disinfection treatment in fresh-to-eat products [32,33]. Limited are the studies that evaluate the use of ozone in the water where the product is dipped [34,35] and, to our knowledge, there is no information about plant growing inside ozonized water. Some recent studies used ozone for nutrient solution sanitization in hydroponics [14], but no reference is made to the product quality.…”