New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Postharvest life of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) under warm conditions can be extended by controlled atmosphere or water feeding

A. R. Renquist
R. E. Lill
W. M. Borst
B. L. Bycroft
V. K. Corrigan
E. M. O’Donoghue

New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 11 600
Palmerston North, New Zealand
email: lillr@crop.cri.nz

Abstract  Green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is known to respond to controlled atmosphere storage (CA) at 20°C with increased shelf-life, reduced respiratory rate, slower loss of soluble carbohydrates and protein, and slower accumulation of asparagine. This work investigated the likelihood of interactive effects of storage of spears in CA along with spear feeding solutions, including 2% sucrose. Standing the spears in a feeding solution extended shelf-life in air but conferred little additional benefit in CA. Feeding the spears with 2% aqueous sucrose reduced asparagine accumulation and protein loss, but gave no visual benefit over water alone. Spears in the feeding solutions gained weight, particularly during the first 2 days after harvest, but weight gain was slower in CA than in air. Sensory assessment indicated that spears held in CA for 6 days had similar flavour and acceptability to spears held in air for 1 day. Spear quality was more strongly influenced by CA than by feeding solutions. Both approaches could assist in asparagus quality retention where a good refrigerated cool chain is not available, but these technologies are technically challenging to apply to air-freighted asparagus.

Keywords  asparagus; Asparagus officinalis; postharvest; controlled atmosphere; sugar feeding; sensory quality; weight change

H04103; Online production date 15 July 2005 Received 24 November 2004; accepted 14 June 2005
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2005, Vol. 33: 269-276
0014-0671/05/3303-0269 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005

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