Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

The storage of globe artichokes under modified atmospheres

Author(s):

Alexios A. Alexopoulos, Konstantinos A. Akoumianakis, Harold C. Passam

Recieved Date: 2003-01-11, Accepted Date: 2003-04-23

Abstract:

Globe artichokes (Cynara scolymus L. cv. Argous), 5.5-7.5 cm and 7.6-10.0 cm in diameter, were harvested from a commercial plantation in southern Greece over two seasons and stored for up to 28 days at 2±0.5 and 10±1.0°C. Artichokes that were not enclosed in plastic lost 24-52% and 48-51% weight within two weeks of storage at 2°C and 10°C respectively, and so were unmarketable. By contrast, artichokes that were stored in polystyrene boxes covered with cling film, perforated polyethylene or clear polystyrene lost less than 3% weight (at 2°C) and 6% (at 10°C) over the same period, and 2.5-5.5% and 5.4-11.1% respectively after 4 weeks. Colour retention of the outer bracts was also improved by enclosure in plastic. The CO₂ concentration within the packages was low at 2°C, being 0.4-1.9% for cling film and less than 0.4% for the other two plastics, compared with 1.9-3.2% and 0.1-1.1% respectively at 10°C. Colour and CO₂ concentration were not affected by artichoke diameter, although the rate of weight loss was lower in large heads. Enclosed artichokes stored at 10°C were only 20-40% acceptable after 14 days and not at all after 28 days, whereas those stored at 2°C were 60-100% acceptable for market even after 28 days, cling film being slightly preferable to polyethylene and polystyrene.

Keywords:

Globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, modified atmospheres, storage

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2003
Volume: 1
Issue: 2
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 130-133

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :