Evaluation of ‘Lorca’ Cultivar Aptitude for Minimally Processed Artichoke

Abstract

Previous research works have reported that ‘Lorca’ artichoke cultivar presents a lower total phenolic content than other cultivars rich in phenolic compounds, which could show a lower susceptibility to enzymatic browning and increase its aptitude for fresh-cut processing. The aim of this study was to analyze the total phenolic content as well as browning evaluation by image analysis and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activity in ‘Lorca’ cultivar in order to characterize the key factors which influence its phenolic levels for minimally processed artichokes. Thus, artichokes were harvested and classified on three head orders (main, secondary, and tertiary), as well as three development stages (initial, intermediate, and advanced). Variance components analysis was carried out for total phenolic content considering three factors: plant, flower head order, and internal development stage. For the first time, the internal development stage has been related to total phenolic content, and results showed that artichoke head order and internal development stage were responsible for a variability of 22.17% and 15.55%, respectively. Main artichoke heads and those at the advanced development stage presented the lowest phenolic concentration as well as the lowest PPO activity; therefore, they exhibit the lowest browning process, which could increase their use in ready-to-eat products at market.

Influence of Artichoke Antioxidant Activity in Their Susceptibility to Suffer Frost Injury

“…The flower order in plants determines the characteristics or physical parameters of artichokes [2]. The main artichokes tend to be the biggest, followed by the secondary heads, and tertiary artichokes being the smallest [2,25,30], in accordance with the results achieved in the present study. In this sense, artichoke is not the only vegetable where there is a differentiation based on its time of formation and position on the stem.…”

“…However, there are few studies that have reported changes in the hydroxycinnamic acid and luteolin profile. The influence of artichoke head order (main, secondary and tertiary) on the phenolic content (hydroxycinnamic acid and luteolin content) has been previously described in different artichoke cultivars [2,25]. In general, hydroxycinnamic acid content varied among flower head orders, showing that tertiary heads had higher levels than the main or secondary heads for major and minor hydroxycinnamic acids; however, this tendency was cultivar-dependent.…”

“…The qualitative and quantitative profile of artichokes can be influenced by several preharvest factors such as harvest date, genotype, agronomic management and environmental conditions [13,[25][26][27][28][29]. Moreover, previous studies have reported that total phenolic content in different artichoke cultivars are highly influenced by the flower head order.…”

Screening of volatile organic compounds emitted from different packaging materials: case study on fresh-cut artichokes

“…scolymus), whose cultivation was previously confined to the Mediterranean region, is now becoming incredibly common and demanded by customers worldwide for its taste and its functional content (Lombardo et al, 2018). Modern society's lifestyle choices have boosted consumer desire for minimally processed goods, that are perceived as value-added products in terms of quality, simplicity, nutrient content, and easy preparation convenience (Giménez-Berenguer et al, 2022). The main edible fraction of artichoke plant is the inner part of the flower heads, representing only the 15-20% of total fresh head weight and the remaining part is considered as waste.…”

Effect of Cysteine with Essential Oils on Quality Attributes and Functional Properties of ‘Blanca de Tudela’ Fresh-Cut Artichoke

“…These polyphenols are oxidated to quinones, resulting in dark pigment causing tissue browning on fresh-cut artichokes [5][6][7]. The use of low phenolic content cultivars for the minimally processed market (fresh-cut artichokes) has been previously studied [8,9]. The effect of harvest time and storage conditions (time and temperature) on the total phenolic content of artichokes and, therefore, their effect on the enzymatic browning of fresh-cut artichokes [10][11][12][13][14] has been previously studied.…”