Alternative Green and Novel Postharvest Treatments for Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Minimally processed fresh produce is ready to eat and subjected to minimal technology before consumption. Fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs) are minimally processed commodities that are metabolically active and undergo physiological processes such as ripening and senescence, reducing their quality and shelf life. Postharvest technologies maintain the quality and prolong the shelf life of harvested produce, without which the quality deteriorates such that significant economic loss ensues due to water and nutrients loss, physiological deterioration, biochemical changes, and microbial degeneration. Conventional postharvest treatments such as temperature management, and chemical and gaseous treatments are widely known for controlling postharvest issues in FFVs. However, there are novel and green alternative safe methods that are employed to maintain the postharvest quality and prolong the shelf life of FFVs. This chapter focuses on seven common alternative novel and green postharvest treatments: nitric oxide, ozone, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, oxalic acid, calcium, and heat treatments. These treatments are explained and some of their current application on FFVs are discussed and tabularized indicating the optimum treatment conditions reported in the latest scientific publications

Quality evaluation of orange-fleshed sweet potato-pineapple blended jam

This research aimed to develop a jam using orange-fleshed sweet potato puree (OFSPP) and pineapple pulp (PP) and to assess nutritional, gelling, sensory, and microbiological qualities. Four jam formulations of OFSPP: PP (70%:30, 50%:50%, and 30%:70) and 100% PP were developed and evaluated. Increasing the level of OFSPP resulted in a significant (P<0.05) decrease in moisture content (34.39–23.70%), but increased the fat (0.16–0.18%), ash (0.35–0.40%), protein (0.93–1.57%), and carbohydrates (61.70–67.69%) content. The concentration of β–carotene decreased with a reducing OFSPP fraction (P<0.05). After 12 weeks of storage, the 50% OFSPP and 50% pineapple jam had a total plate count of 4.50 CFU/g, although coliform and mould were not present in all the processed jam samples. The mixed jam with 50% OFSPP: 50% PP had a higher sensory acceptance. These results indicate that food processors could develop OFSP-PP jams as a β–carotene enriched functional food

Types of indigenous vegetables consumed, preparation, preferences and perceived benefits in Ghana

Indigenous vegetables (IVs) are rich sources of essential nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals, and other non-nutritive phytochemicals. IVs play a critical role in the food culture of the Ghanaian people. Despite their importance, they have over the years been mostly associated with the resource-poor. In this study, the types of IVs, preparation preferences, frequency of consumption and some perceived benefits ascribed by some Ghanaian consumers (n = 1393) were investigated in a cross-sectional survey. Descriptive analysis and a chi-square test of independence were conducted to summarise and determine the relationship between gender, age and consumption frequency of the IVs. The study identified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) leaves, jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) and garden egg (Solanum melongena) as the popular IVs consumed by respondents. Among these, about 13.3% of women and 15.3% of men indicated they consume okra. Eight per cent of the women respondents and 6.7% of the men consumed jute mallow. Almost 57% of the respondents said the IVs were used to prepare stew and soup. More than a third (39%) of the respondents indicated that they consumed the IVs either daily or more than once a week. Women respondents’ frequency of IVs consumption was significantly different [X2 (4, n = 1393) = 30.11, p = 0.000] from the men. The frequency of consumption of IVs for the elderly was significantly higher [X2 (12, n = 1393) = 30.53, p = 0.002] as compared to the younger respondents. The main perceived benefits of IVs were nutrition- and health-related. The major barriers to the consumption of IVs were cost, non-availability, palatability and cultural. The IVs were largely wet-cooked and consumed as stews or sauces and soups. These findings form good bases for further empirical studies on the nutritional and other health-benefiting attributes of the specific IVs found in this study for sustainable promotion and utilisation in Ghana