Effect of Chemical Treatments on the Quality of Fresh-Cut Globe Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus,L.) During Cold Storage

Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a perennial rosette plant grown throughout the world for its large, fleshy heads [1-3]. Most of its culture (about 90%) is concentrated in the countries around the Mediterranean Basin mainly in Italy (50 000 ha), Spain (17000 ha) and France (10 000 ha) [4]. Egypt has the potential to develop an excellent export industry in artichoke. The production areas around Alexandria, Behiera and Giza Governorates have favorable climatic conditions to grow good quality of artichoke for export marketing [3]. The edible portions are the fleshy bases of the bracts, the thick, fleshy receptacle on which the bracts are borne, and the flower primordia [2,3,5]. Fresh-cut vegetables are ready to use products developed in 1980 to respond to the emerging consumer demand for both convenience and high quality aspects. However, the wounds inflicted during the preparation of freshcut vegetables promote many physical and physiological changes that hasten loss of product quality [6]. After cutting, the surface of perishable product is exposed to air and to possible damage, being vulnerable to dehydration or change in (color) coloration. Color changes maybe principally due to enzymatic browning or loss of chlorophyll. Some of the damage can be avoided using sharp tools, inhibitors of enzymatic browning, modified atmospheres and active packaging [7,8]. During cutting, the surface of product is also exposed to possible contamination with bacteria, yeasts and molds. In the case of minimally processed globe artichoke which falls into the low acid category of horticultural products (pH 5.8–6.0), high humidity and the large number of cut surfaces can provide ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms [9]. Water loss is one of the main causes of the marketability reduce of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which represents salable weight loss and reduces profits [10,11]. However, without the external protective tissue, the cut products lose weight easily. In contrast, when storing horticultural products inside bags or protected with edible coatings, the relative humidity remains high to keep products from the weight loss [12]. Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables release heat from respiration, consequently lose moisture, undergo a rapid softening and decay progress which may detract from their appearance, salable weight, and nutritional quality and also a short shelf-life [13-15]. Therefore, any efforts such as effective technologies and facilities that could be done to maintain the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables with high quality after harvest, and during marketing, would be very important. Natural compounds and their derivatives such as GA3 and potassium sorbate have been used to prevent deterioration and browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables [16-19]. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of gibberellic acid and potassium sorbate on weight loss, unmarketable percentage, T.S.S, inulin and polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity of fresh-cut globe artichoke under cold storage conditions. Three chemical substances used in our experiment, i.e., gibberellic acid, potassium sorbate and chitosan to elongate the storage periods of the globe artichoke fresh-cut heads. However, gibberellic acid is a vegetarianism hormone which produced by late leaves and growing caps in the roots and stems. It has many applications on vegetable crops one of them is extend of the storage periods Volume 5 Issue 2 2016