Research

14 pages, 2075 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of Adulterations in Fruit Juices Using Machine Learning Methods over FT-IR Spectroscopic Data

by José Luis P. Calle, Marta Ferreiro-González, Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez, Daniel Fernández and Miguel Palma

Agronomy 2022, 12(3), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12030683 - 11 Mar 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4239

Abstract

Fruit juices are one of the most adulterated beverages, usually because of the addition of water, sugars, or less expensive fruit juices. This study presents a method based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), in combination with machine learning methods, for the correct [...] Read more.

Fruit juices are one of the most adulterated beverages, usually because of the addition of water, sugars, or less expensive fruit juices. This study presents a method based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), in combination with machine learning methods, for the correct identification and quantification of adulterants in juices. Thus, three types of 100% squeezed juices (pineapple, orange, and apple) were evaluated and adulterated with grape juice at different percentages (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%). The results of the exploratory data analysis revealed a clear clustering trend of the samples according to the type of juice analyzed. The supervised learning analysis, based on the development of models for the detection of adulteration, obtained significant results for all tested methods (i.e., support-vector machines or SVM), random forest or RF, and linear discriminant analysis or LDA) with an accuracy above 97% on the test set. Regarding quantification, the best results are obtained with the support vector regression and with partial least square regression showing an R² greater than 0.99 and a root mean square error (RMSE) less than 1.4 for the test set. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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12 pages, 1399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of ‘Lorca’ Cultivar Aptitude for Minimally Processed Artichoke

by Marina Giménez-Berenguer, María E. García-Pastor, Santiago García-Martínez, María J. Giménez and Pedro J. Zapata

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 515; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020515 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2017

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 [...] Read more.

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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25 pages, 2685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Postharvest Changes in the Nutritional Properties of Commercial and Traditional Lettuce Varieties in Relation with Overall Visual Quality

by Eva Martínez-Ispizua, Ángeles Calatayud, Jose Ignacio Marsal, Federico Basile, Claudio Cannata, Abdelsattar Abdelkhalik, Salvador Soler, José Vicente Valcárcel and Mary-Rus Martínez-Cuenca

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020403 - 05 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4251

Abstract

Nowadays the cultivation and consumption of traditional lettuce varieties are growing as they are particularly appealing to consumers for their diversity, and high nutraceutical quality. However, lettuce is a highly perishable product, which results in significant nutritional loss from harvest to final consumers. [...] Read more.

Nowadays the cultivation and consumption of traditional lettuce varieties are growing as they are particularly appealing to consumers for their diversity, and high nutraceutical quality. However, lettuce is a highly perishable product, which results in significant nutritional loss from harvest to final consumers. In this work, the content of some bioactive compounds (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols), overall antioxidant capacity and mineral content was monitored in five landraces and four commercial lettuce varieties to compare their variation during the storage period. Visual characterization was conducted during the postharvest period, as was the determination of the parameters indicative of oxidative stress, to establish the preservation capacity of their physico-chemical attributes. As a general trend, lettuce varieties showed individualized behavior during the postharvest period, which was not necessarily better in the commercial varieties compared to the landraces. Of all the varieties, landrace L10 stood out for not showing excessive variations in its general appearance or nutritional quality throughout its life cycle. However, in terms of initial concentration of bioactive compounds, the reddest varieties (CL4 and L11) stand out. These results indicate variability among varieties, which emphasizes the potential of lettuce landraces in postharvest practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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12 pages, 1520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Degreening Treatment on Quality and Shelf-Life of Organic Lemons

by Vicente Serna-Escolano, María José Giménez, María Emma García-Pastor, Alicia Dobón-Suárez, Sofía Pardo-Pina and Pedro J. Zapata

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020270 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4353

Abstract

Degreening treatment is used in early cultivars of the lemon crop in the Mediterranean area to enhance the commercially desired colour when fruits have reached the proper ripening stage for harvesting and marketing. In the organic market, temperature and relative humidity are controlled [...] Read more.

Degreening treatment is used in early cultivars of the lemon crop in the Mediterranean area to enhance the commercially desired colour when fruits have reached the proper ripening stage for harvesting and marketing. In the organic market, temperature and relative humidity are controlled to promote the degradation of chlorophylls, allowing the visualisation of the lower layer formed by carotenoids. Although this is a stressful procedure, the degreening treatment showed greater results in terms of weight loss and firmness, the control of the respiration rate, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and the total phenolic content in flavedo and juice compared to the non-treated lemons, without significant differences on the overall liking between both treatments. During postharvest storage, significant differences in fruit quality were observed compared to at harvest, due to the decreasing tendency observed on the quality parameters analysed along with development and on-tree fruit ripening. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that the application of a degreening treatment in early cultivars of lemon would not lead to a detriment of fruit quality other than the quality changes associated with the on-tree fruit-ripening process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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13 pages, 314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of New Muchamiel Tomato Lines with Virus Resistance Genes Grafted onto Two Commercial Rootstocks

by Pedro Carbonell, José Ángel Cabrera, Juan Francisco Salinas, Aránzazu Alonso, Adrián Grau, Lucía Sánchez-Rodríguez, Joaquín Parra, Julián Bartual, Raul Martí, Jaime Cebolla-Cornejo, Juan J. Ruiz and Santiago García Martínez

Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010119 - 04 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1581

Abstract

Tomato landraces are regaining interest in Spain because their great fruit quality and value in popular gastronomy. Muchamiel is a traditional tomato variety grown in SE Spain that has been recently improved by the CIAGRO-UMH Tomato Breeding Group, resulting in several lines and [...] Read more.

Tomato landraces are regaining interest in Spain because their great fruit quality and value in popular gastronomy. Muchamiel is a traditional tomato variety grown in SE Spain that has been recently improved by the CIAGRO-UMH Tomato Breeding Group, resulting in several lines and hybrids with genetic resistances to virus and most of the original Muchamiel genome. In the current study, two hybrids and one pure line from CIAGRO-UMH and a commercial Muchamiel were grown under conventional conditions to evaluate three different grafting treatments: non-grafting and grafting onto the commercial Beaufort and Maxifort rootstocks. The yield parameters and fruit quality were assessed, and a sensory analysis was performed to evaluate the behavior of every scion/rootstock combination. Overall, significantly worse yield and fruit number in Maxifort-grafted plants were reported; as well as a slight reductions in SSC, fructose, and sucrose; and significant effects on few sensory traits. Instead, Beaufort-grafted plants showed no reduced yield, whereas no differences were reported between grafting treatments in fruit weight, TA, and acid profile, as well as in most of flavor and texture sensory parameters. These results suggest that Muchamiel/Beaufort combination could be suitable under unfavorable conditions, while Maxifort do not seem to provide agronomic nor quality benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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14 pages, 4147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Qualitative and Nutraceutical Characteristics after Storage of New Pear Selections in Emilia-Romagna Region

by Giuseppina Caracciolo, Maria Luigia Maltoni, Giulia Faedi, Sandro Sirri and Gianluca Baruzzi

Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2515; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122515 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2179

Abstract

The Emilia-Romagna region is excellent in European pear production. CREA Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura leads a breeding project co-founded by New Plant (a consortium of three growers’associations Apofruit, Apoconerpo, and Orogel Fresco) whose main objective is to improve fruit quality [...] Read more.

The Emilia-Romagna region is excellent in European pear production. CREA Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura leads a breeding project co-founded by New Plant (a consortium of three growers’associations Apofruit, Apoconerpo, and Orogel Fresco) whose main objective is to improve fruit quality and nutraceutical parameters. The purpose of this study is to describe the qualitative characteristics of some new genotypes obtained by this breeding activity after cold storage, in comparison with the main cultivated varieties, ‘Abbé Fétel’, ‘William’s B.C’ and ‘Doyenne du Comice’. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, fruit samples, stored in a normal refrigeration room and after 100 dd, reaching the consumption ripening (2.5–3 kg/0.5 cm²), were analyzed to quantify the qualitative parameters: average weight, caliber, titratable acidity, soluble solids contents, skin color and overcolor, sugar and organic acids content, the antioxidant capacity, the total polyphenols, and ascorbic acid content. The results showed that the selection ‘CREA 171’, with red skin and yellow-cream flesh, outstood for the high antioxidant capacity due to the high content of polyphenols and ascorbic acid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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16 pages, 1190 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Salicylic Acid Foliar Application Increases Crop Yield and Quality Parameters of Green Pepper Fruit during Postharvest Storage

by Alicia Dobón-Suárez, María J. Giménez, María E. García-Pastor and Pedro J. Zapata

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112263 - 09 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2905

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) as a preharvest treatment on crop yield throughout the crop cycle of green pepper fruit as well as on its quality parameters, including functional quality, at harvest and [...] Read more.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) as a preharvest treatment on crop yield throughout the crop cycle of green pepper fruit as well as on its quality parameters, including functional quality, at harvest and during 21 days of storage at 7 °C. Thus, ‘Herminio’ pepper plants were treated with SA at 0.5, 1 and 5 mM, and higher crop yield (kg per plant, number of fruits per plant and average fruit weight) and quality parameters (firmness, green color and total acidity) at harvest were obtained with the 0.5 mM dose, as well as greater phenolic compounds content and total antioxidant activity. These quality traits and functional quality were also maintained at higher levels for this treatment than in controls during postharvest storage, leading to a delay of fruit quality losses. In addition, the decay incidence for 0.5 mM SA-treated pepper fruits reached a ca. value of 2% at the end of the storage, which was lower than untreated fruits (16.6%). These results suggest that preharvest application of SA at low doses tested on pepper plants could be a useful tool to increase crop yield and fruit quality parameters at harvest and maintain them during storage, delaying quality losses and decay incidence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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13 pages, 1708 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Antioxidant Properties, γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Content, and Physicochemical Characteristics of Tomato Cultivars

by Shimeles Tilahun, Han-Ryul Choi, Min-Woo Baek, Lee-Hee Cheol, Ki-Wung Kwak, Do-Su Park, Tifsehit Solomon and Cheon-Soon Jeong

Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061204 - 13 Jun 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3425

Abstract

Tomatoes are rich in secondary metabolites such as lycopene, β-carotene, phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C, which are responsible for their antioxidant activates. A high level of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a health-promoting functional compound, was also found to accumulate in tomato fruit. In addition [...] Read more.

Tomatoes are rich in secondary metabolites such as lycopene, β-carotene, phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C, which are responsible for their antioxidant activates. A high level of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a health-promoting functional compound, was also found to accumulate in tomato fruit. In addition to the internal quality attributes, the acceptance of the tomato fruit by consumers is highly dependent on appearance and taste. Hence, we conducted this study to evaluate ‘Tori’, ‘TY VIP’, ‘Mamirio’, and ‘Arya’ tomato cultivars based on their physicochemical characteristics, contents of secondary metabolites, and GABA content. The results have revealed that the tested cultivars were very firm, which renders them the best choice for postharvest distribution of fresh market tomatoes as they resist impacts during harvesting and postharvest operations. Based on total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and Brix acid ratio (BAR) the choice of cultivar could be ‘Mamirio’ > ’Tori’ > ‘TY VIP’ > ‘Arya’. Apart from flavor intensity, ‘Mamirio’ and ’Tori’ also revealed the highest content of ascorbic acid while ‘Mamirio’ and ‘Arya’ had the highest carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene) accumulation. On the other hand, the highest total phenolics content was recorded from ‘TY VIP’ and ‘Arya’. Moreover, the highest total flavonoids and GABA contents were recorded from ‘TY VIP’. Nevertheless, the antioxidant activity of ‘TY VIP’ was the lowest of all tested cultivars while the highest was recorded from ‘Mamirio’. Taken together, the findings of the present study could suggest that the consumers’ requirements could be better fulfilled by choosing cultivars for the specific target functional compounds. From the tested cultivars, if the target is ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity then ‘Mamirio’ is the best choice. On the other hand, if the target is total phenolics, flavonoids, and GABA then ‘TY VIP’ is the best choice. One could also label ‘Mamirio’ as an ‘antioxidant tomato’ and ‘TY VIP’ as the ‘GABA tomato’. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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13 pages, 19301 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Melatonin Treatment of Apricot Trees Leads to Maintenance of Fruit Quality Attributes during Storage at Chilling and Non-Chilling Temperatures

by Jorge Medina-Santamarina, Pedro Javier Zapata, Juan Miguel Valverde, Daniel Valero, María Serrano and Fabián Guillén

Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050917 - 07 May 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3449

Abstract

The effects of preharvest melatonin treatment on apricot crop yield and fruit quality properties at harvest and during storage have not yet been investigated. Apricot trees, of the ‘Colorado’ and ‘Mikado’ cultivars, were sprayed with 0.1 mM melatonin at three key points of [...] Read more.

The effects of preharvest melatonin treatment on apricot crop yield and fruit quality properties at harvest and during storage have not yet been investigated. Apricot trees, of the ‘Colorado’ and ‘Mikado’ cultivars, were sprayed with 0.1 mM melatonin at three key points of fruit development. Fruit were harvested at commercial ripening stage and yield was higher in melatonin treated trees than in the controls. Fruit were stored at 1 and 8 °C for 21 and 28 days, respectively. Samples were taken weekly and left at 20 °C for 1 day. Weight losses, as well as reduction in firmness and acidity, were delayed in fruits from melatonin treated trees, showing an effect of treatment on delaying the postharvest ripening process, which was attributed to a reduced ethylene production in both cultivars and at both storage temperatures. In addition, chilling injury symptoms were observed in apricots stored at 1 °C, which were reduced by preharvest melatonin treatment. Moreover, apricot from melatonin-treated fruit retained higher total phenolic content than the controls after 14 days of storage, although the phenolic profile was not affected by treatment. Thus, melatonin could be a useful tool for practical purposes to improve apricot crop yield and maintain fruit quality properties during storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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11 pages, 1197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Melatonin Treatment of Pomegranate Trees Increases Crop Yield and Quality Parameters at Harvest and during Storage

by Jorge Medina-Santamarina, María Serrano, Jose M. Lorente-Mento, María E. García-Pastor, Pedro J. Zapata, Daniel Valero and Fabián Guillén

Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050861 - 28 Apr 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2852

Abstract

With the aim to study the effect of melatonin treatment of pomegranate trees on crop yield and fruit quality at harvest and during storage, two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years: 2017 and 2018. In the first year, trees were treated [...] Read more.

With the aim to study the effect of melatonin treatment of pomegranate trees on crop yield and fruit quality at harvest and during storage, two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years: 2017 and 2018. In the first year, trees were treated with melatonin (at 0.1 and 1 mM) along the developmental growth cycle and fruit quality parameters were evaluated at harvest and during storage at 10 °C for 90 days. Treatments with melatonin led to an increase of crop yield (number of fruits per tree and kg per tree), as well as higher fruit quality attributes, such as fruit size (diameter and weight), color, total soluble solids (TSS), and total acidity (TA), especially with the 0.1 mM dose. Then, in the second year, melatonin at 0.1 mM was selected for repeating the pre-harvest treatments with similar results in terms of crop yield and fruit quality parameters. During storage, pomegranate fruit treated with 0.1 mM melatonin maintained higher quality attributes than controls, such as TSS, TA, and firmness and lower weight losses were observed in fruit from treated trees, in both trials. In addition, the content of the major sugars (glucose and fructose) and organic acids (malic, succinic and ascorbic acid) were higher in melatonin-treated than in non-treated fruit. These results suggest that pre-harvest melatonin treatment could be a useful tool to increase pomegranate crop yield as well as fruit quality parameters at harvest and their maintenance during storage due to an effect of melatonin on reducing the postharvest ripening process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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9 pages, 1314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Different Drying Methods on Primary and Secondary Metabolites in Korean Mint Flower

by Chang Ha Park, Hyeon Ji Yeo, Chanung Park, Yong Suk Chung and Sang Un Park

Agronomy 2021, 11(4), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040698 - 07 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2726

Abstract

Edible flowers have been used in the food and beverage industries because of their high nutritional value, flavor, and scent. For the storage of edible flowers used in these industries, drying is a necessity to store the materials more easily and prevent the [...] Read more.

Edible flowers have been used in the food and beverage industries because of their high nutritional value, flavor, and scent. For the storage of edible flowers used in these industries, drying is a necessity to store the materials more easily and prevent the damage of metabolites in the flowers. However, drying may affect metabolite retention because drying conditions can differ according to the various methods. In this study, Agastache rugosa flowers were dried using four different methods (oven drying at 25 ± 1 °C, 50 ± 1 °C, 80 ± 1 °C, and freeze drying) and primary and secondary metabolites were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS). Freeze-dried flower samples contained higher levels of carotenoids (lutein, 13Z-β-carotene, β-carotene, and 9Z-β-carotene) and phenolics (rosmarinic acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid). Contrarily, the 80 °C oven-dried flower samples contained higher levels of most amino acids and flavonoids (including acacetin and tilianin) and at 25 °C and 50 °C contained higher levels of carbohydrates. Therefore, freeze-drying is a suitable method for retaining carotenoids and phenolics. In contrast, oven drying at 50 °C was highly recommended to retain amino acids and flavonoids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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17 pages, 2875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Compost Extract Addition to Different Types of Fertilizers on Quality at Harvest and Shelf Life of Spinach

by Almudena Giménez, Perla A. Gómez, María Ángeles Bustamante, María Dolores Pérez-Murcia, Encarnación Martínez-Sabater, Margarita Ros, José A. Pascual, Catalina Egea-Gilabert and Juan A. Fernández

Agronomy 2021, 11(4), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040632 - 26 Mar 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2516

Abstract

Spinach is rich in minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and bioactive compounds with health-beneficial effects; however, this plant also tends to accumulate oxalates and nitrates in their leaves. Apart from genotype, nutrition is the pre-harvest factor that mostly affects quality attributes at harvest. Particularly, the [...] Read more.

Spinach is rich in minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and bioactive compounds with health-beneficial effects; however, this plant also tends to accumulate oxalates and nitrates in their leaves. Apart from genotype, nutrition is the pre-harvest factor that mostly affects quality attributes at harvest. Particularly, the application of compost extracts (CE) may induce resistance against soil-borne diseases and favour secondary metabolism, increasing antioxidant capacity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different types of fertilization with or without the addition of CE, on harvest quality and shelf life of minimally processed spinach (Spinacia oleracea, var. Shrike RZ) stored during 12 days at 4 °C. A compost extract (CE) was prepared by mixing a compost from agri-food wastes (vine pruning, leek waste and olive mill waste) with deionized water. CE foliar applications were done from days 28 and 56 after sowing. The treatments applied were: Control; Control + CE; NPK (inorganic NPK fertilizer 15-15-15); NPK + CE; DMPP (ENTEC Nitrofoska^® plus the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP)) and DMPP + CE. After harvest, spinach leaves were minimally processed and packaged to generate a passive modified atmosphere. Nitrate content in the control treatment was reduced by the addition of CE, although in the rest of the treatments, CE addition did not produce any effect. For nitrite contents, the lowest value was obtained for the Control + CE. Moreover, the oxalate content was the lowest for the control treatment with a decreasing trend throughout the storage. The treatment Control + CE also showed the highest initial total phenolic contents, with very similar values at the end of shelf life to those observed at harvest for all the treatments. The highest differences in color as regards the initial values were detected for DMPP. Microbial loads increased for all the treatments without differences between them. The atmosphere reached at the end of the cold storage was the same for all the cases, with CO₂ and O₂ around 10 kPa for each one of them. After 12 days at 4 °C, all the treatments were above the limit of usability, with the spinach leaves acceptable for consumption. The results found in this study indicate that the addition of CE might be convenient for obtaining spinach rich in bioactive compounds and with low concentrations of antinutritional factors, without affecting the microbial load of the final product. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Bioactive Compounds at Harvest and during Postharvest Storage)

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