The antioxidatic protection for parsley at long-term storage

Abstract

Background. Usage of agrarian hydrogel and antioxidants, that is a nutrient solution, considerably extending shelf-life, is one of the new methods enabling minimal loss of commercial quality and biological value of green vegetables.
Material and methods. Parsley species Oskar and Novas grown under the open sky have been chosen for a long-term storage. The test samples of parsley greens were packaged into bunches 150 g each and put stalks forth into plastic packets 80 x 30 mm filled with a nutrient solutions. The latter were based on compositions of 1 % agrarian hydrogel and substances with antioxidant action: 0.25 % chlorophyllipt and various concentrations of ionol – 0.012; 0.024 and 0.036 %. Parsley greens stored without nutrient solutions were taken as a reference lot. The greens were stored under temperature 1 ± 0.5 °С and relative humidity of air 95 ± 3 %.
Results. It has been proved that usage of agrarian hydrogel and antioxidants extends parsley shelf-life up to 40–55 days, enables to increase post-storage marketable outcome of produce by 26 % and to get maximum stabilization of biological value of parsley: the content of vitamin C in the test samples is by 9–15 and of chlorophyll is by 12–13 % higher than in the reference ones.
Conclusion. Superoxide dismutase and catalase play a leading role in protection of parsley from stress at the first stages of storage, and so does peroxidase during the second half of storage period. Expediency of usage of nutrient solution containing antioxidants (ionol concentration of 0.024 %) for expanding antiradical area of antioxidant system of parsley for prevention and correction of metabolic disorders occurring during storage has been experimentally proved.