Changes in bioactive compounds and response to postharvest storage conditions in purple eggplants as affected by fruit developmental stage

Nutritional value and antioxidant content of seed‐containing and seedless eggplant fruits of two cultivars grown under protected cultivation during autumn–winter and spring–summer

“…Eggplant fruit are non-climacteric and in accordance with recent reports, 24 the respiratory activity of both cultivars decreased progressively as the fruit developed, irrespective of the presence or absence of seeds. In the seed-containing fruit the decline in respiratory activity coincided with an increase in starch content, indicating that starch provided the respiratory substrate, but this was not the case in seedless fruit where starch content decreased.…”

“…The total antioxidant activity in the fruit of the two cultivars (assayed by both the DPPH and TEAC methods) correlated closely with the concentration of total phenolics (r > 0.9), which are reported to be the predominant antioxidants of the fruit wileyonlinelibrary.com/jsfa flesh. 24 Additionally, eggplants contain high levels of antioxidants (especially anthocyanins) in the peel, although on the basis of colour measurements, these do not appear to be affected by hormone application. Similarly, seed-containing and auxin-treated eggplants did not differ in skin colour and anthocyanin content.…”

Agricultural practices, biology and quality of eggplant cultivated in Central Europe. A review

“…Eggplant fruits can be harvested at a range of immature stages before full seed development, depending on market requirements. In traditional distribution channels, fruits are harvested mostly at intermediate developmental phases, and 'baby' eggplants are increasingly in demand with consumers (Zaro et al 2014). Regardless of developmental phase, eggplant fruits have a short shelf life; therefore, the development of production methods needs to be tailored to local markets.…”

“…This occurs due to the hydrolytic decomposition of protopectin to soluble pectins, the latter being more representative in ripening fruits (Esteban et al 1993); however, fruit quality and shelf life are also determined by the wax layer covering the skin (Bauer et al 2005). With respect to fruiting management, late harvesting increases yield leading to soft fruits that exhibit lower respiration rates but which maintain quality for longer when stored at 10°C; in contrast, 'baby' eggplants performed better at a storage temperature of 0°C (Zaro et al 2014). Short fruit shelf life and sensitivity to transport limit eggplant use for the processing industry and reduce fruit attractiveness to fresh vegetable markets.…”

“…The authors showed plant-to-plant variation in phenolic content and concluded that multiple repetitive analyses of plant products collected from different cultivars, grown during various seasonal times at particular locations, should prove unambiguously the impact of growing conditions on phenolic content or antioxidant activity. Fruit colour and maturity stage at harvest also influence the bioactive compound contents: 'baby' eggplants exhibited higher antioxidant capacity and higher concentrations of chlorogenic acid, carotenoids and ascorbic acid than late-harvested fruits (Zaro et al 2014). Moreover, Tateyama and Iragashi (2006) suggested that the antioxidant activity of fruit extracts collected from multi-coloured eggplant varieties depends mainly on the chlorogenic acid content.…”