Abstract
The quality of leafy green vegetables changes during storage. Leaves become yellow or disintegrate, and an off-odor may develop. In addition, small amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released. In this study, the release of acetone, carbon disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, nitromethane, pentane, 3-methylfuran, 2-ethylfuran, and dimethyl disulfide from wild rocket with different initial qualities was monitored during 8 d storage at 10 °C and correlated to aerobic bacteria counts, yeast and mold counts, and degree of tissue disintegration. The release of VOCs, except for 3-methylfuran, was influenced by the initial quality of the leaves. The release of pentane and 2-ethylfuran was related to the degree of tissue disintegration, and the release of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide was related to the total aerobic bacteria count. The results demonstrated that VOCs can be used as markers for monitoring the complex quality changes taking place in packaged fresh produce during storage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Food Chemistry |
| Volume | 232 |
| Pages (from-to) | 579-586 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 0308-8146 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2017 |
Keywords
- Respiration rate
- Volatile organic compounds
- aerobic bacteria
- fresh produce
- leaf age and leaf wetness
- leaf disintegration