Mixing fresh-cut baby green and red leaf lettuce from soilless cultivation preserves phytochemical content and safety

Pignata, Giuseppe; Ertani, Andrea; Casale, Manuela; Piano, Serenella; Senesi, N.

doi:10.23986/afsci.88904

Cited by 6 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…These data clearly testify the increasing demand of consumers for health-promoting natural products and fresh foods. Green leafy vegetables, in particular, can provide minerals, dietary fibers, vitamins, and many other antioxidant metabolites essential for a balanced diet that reduces the risk of oxidative stress-related aging and degenerative diseases while promoting psychophysical well-being [2][3][4][5]. In Europe, the consumption of high quality ready-to-eat (RTE) 100% edible leafy greens has reached Agronomy 2021, 11, 1040 2 of 16 a turnover of about 600 million Euros [6], and Italy ranked as the leader in Europe for the production of RTE leafy greens with about 15,000 ha and 160 kilotons of greenhouse production per year [7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulated Salinity Eustress in a Floating Hydroponic Module of Sequentially Harvested Lettuce Modulates Phytochemical Constitution, Plant Resilience, and Post-Harvest Nutraceutical Quality

et al. 2021

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A mild salinity stress (eustress) may modulate the induction of the plant defense system in horticultural crops and the synthesis of phytochemical components able to enhance plant resilience, post-harvest performance, and the nutraceutical quality of produce. However, the choice of the correct eustress type and dose to induce the synthesis of these protective phytochemicals is pivotal to avoid potential interference with plant growth and productivity. In order to study how green and red lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants equilibrate the nutritional and nutraceutical components of quality with yield components, we applied iso-osmotic concentrations of three different salts (20 mM NaCl, 20 mM KCl, and 13.3 mM CaCl2, with a final total ionic concentration of 40 mM) in combination with two successive harvests in a floating raft system. The biometric parameters, mineral composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of both cultivars were analyzed. The green cultivar had a superior response concerning biometric traits and productivity compared to the red one during the first cut but lower phytochemical content (e.g., ascorbic acid). The effect of cut order, independently of cultivar and salinity treatments, demonstrated that at the first harvest plants could redirect metabolism by increasing the lipophilic antioxidant content (LAA) at the expense of plant yield, therefore increasing plant resilience and post-harvest nutraceutical quality; whereas, at the second harvest, plants reverted principally to tissue expansion. The treatments with iso-osmotic salt concentrations did not affect K and Mg ion contents but further increased LAA and resulted only in a moderate decrease of fresh yield. The lettuce nitrate content was reduced during the second cut only when lettuce plants were treated with NaCl and especially CaCl2.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulated Salinity Eustress in a Floating Hydroponic Module of Sequentially Harvested Lettuce Modulates Phytochemical Constitution, Plant Resilience, and Post-Harvest Nutraceutical Quality

et al. 2021

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“…On the other hand, in vitro digestion of both red beet and amaranth microgreens, produced a significant increase in total phenolic content (36-88%), antioxidants (6-43%), and total betalains (41-57%), with maximum levels observed when the material was stored for 10 days prior to digestion. Using different cultivation systems, Pignata et al [20] reported that after 9 days of storage at 4 • C, baby green and red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) that were harvested from soilless cultivation systems retained its phytochemical content better than lettuce grown in traditional soil-based cultivation systems. The effects of genotype and harvesting day on phytochemical quantities were evaluated in two cultivars of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) fruit [21].…”

Section: Pre-harvest Factors That Affect Changes In Phytochemicals During Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Physical Treatments on Phytochemical Changes in Fresh Produce after Storage and Marketing

Fallik

Ilić²

2021

Agronomy

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More food with high nutritional content will be needed to feed the growing global human population, which is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. Fruits and vegetables contain most of the minerals, micronutrients, and phytonutrients essential for human nutrition and health. The quantity of these phytochemicals depends on crop genetics, weather and environmental factors, growth conditions, and pre-harvest and post-harvest treatments. These phytochemicals are known to have anti-cancer properties and to regulate immunity, in addition to hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-aging, hypotensive, hypoglycemic, and other pharmacological properties. Physical treatments have been reported to be effective for managing several post-harvest diseases and physiological disorders. These treatments may affect the external, internal, and nutritional qualities of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the information recently reported regarding the use of physical treatments applied either directly or in combination with other means to maximize and maintain the phytochemical content of fresh and fresh-cut or processed fruits and vegetables.

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“…The production of this type of product is increasingly being carried out by means of soilless cultivation systems (SCSs), which represent an efficient way of managing cultivation inputs and resources and allow a high product quality to be obtained [ 3 , 4 ]. BLV are rapidly becoming an important segment of the fresh-cut industry, thanks to their convenience, high value, unique sensory characteristics, and healthy phytochemicals, which are sources of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Therefore, the development of BLV is recommended because of their possible health benefits and excellent processing characteristics [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BLV are rapidly becoming an important segment of the fresh-cut industry, thanks to their convenience, high value, unique sensory characteristics, and healthy phytochemicals, which are sources of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Therefore, the development of BLV is recommended because of their possible health benefits and excellent processing characteristics [ 6 ]. Nevertheless, BLV are highly perishable and susceptible to quality decay along the supply chain as their tender immature leaves have a higher respiration rate and active metabolism than fully mature ones [ 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To meet this demand, different types/varieties of BLV are often mixed and packaged to make products more colourful and attractive. It is worth noting that the mixing a ratio of different types/varieties of BLV in the same package has been shown to affect the inherent quality and storage characteristics of products to a great extent [ 6 ]. One of our previous studies showed that the mixing ratio of fresh-cut baby lettuce with 50% green lettuce + 50% red lettuce and 25% green lettuce + 75% red lettuce had higher inherent quality on d1 than other mixing ratios [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Mixing Ratio and Filling-Amount Affect the Tissue Browning and Antioxidant Properties of Fresh-Cut Baby Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) Grown in Floating Growing Systems

Zhan

Bulgari

Pignata

et al. 2022

Foods

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Different types of baby leaf vegetables (BLV) are often mixed and packaged as salad mixes. This work has evaluated the effects of BLV mixing ratios (100% lettuce ‘Lollo Bionda’, 100 LB; 75% lettuce + 25% rocket, 75 LB; 50% lettuce + 50% rocket, 50 LB) and the weight filling amount (125 g filling amount, 125F; 250 g, 250F) on the antioxidant properties and browning potential (BP) of lettuce and rocket baby leaves during storage for 9 days at 4 °C in the dark. The samples were packaged in thermos-sealed bags previously prepared using polypropylene film. The results showed that the 50 LB mix had preserved high amounts of chlorophylls and internal nutrients on d9, regardless of the filling amount. No visible browning symptoms were detected in the 50 LB samples. The 50 LB × 125F mix was found to be the most efficient strategy to maintain the antioxidant property of BLV. Thus, the optimisation of the mixing ratio and its combination with an appropriate filling amount could represent an effective postharvest practice.

show abstract

Mixing fresh-cut baby green and red leaf lettuce from soilless cultivation preserves phytochemical content and safety

Cited by 6 publications

References 44 publications

Regulated Salinity Eustress in a Floating Hydroponic Module of Sequentially Harvested Lettuce Modulates Phytochemical Constitution, Plant Resilience, and Post-Harvest Nutraceutical Quality

Regulated Salinity Eustress in a Floating Hydroponic Module of Sequentially Harvested Lettuce Modulates Phytochemical Constitution, Plant Resilience, and Post-Harvest Nutraceutical Quality

The Influence of Physical Treatments on Phytochemical Changes in Fresh Produce after Storage and Marketing

The Mixing Ratio and Filling-Amount Affect the Tissue Browning and Antioxidant Properties of Fresh-Cut Baby Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) Grown in Floating Growing Systems

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