Effect of Long-Term Frozen Storage on Health-Promoting Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in Baby Mustard

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of blanching and subsequent long-term frozen storage on the retention of health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity in frozen lateral buds of baby mustard. Results showed that all glucosinolates were well preserved during frozen storage, and 72.48% of total glucosinolate content was retained in the unblanched treatment group after 8 months, as were chlorophylls, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, soluble sugars, soluble proteins, and antioxidant capacity. The loss of nutritional qualities mainly occurred in the 1st month of frozen storage, and nutritional qualities in the unblanched treatment group were significantly better than those in the blanched treatment group during frozen storage. Blanching before freezing reduced contents of high-content glucosinolates and ascorbic acid, as well as antioxidant capacity levels. Therefore, we recommend using long-term frozen storage to preserve the quality of baby mustard to achieve annual supply, and freezing without blanching.

Sucrose treatment delays senescence and maintains the postharvest quality of baby mustard (Brassica juncea var. gemmifera)

“… Wei et al (2011) speculated that the antioxidant activity in radish sprouts was associated with phenolic compounds and glucoraphasatin. The antioxidant activity estimated by FRAP might be mainly associated with ascorbic acid, which is consistent with the results of our previous research ( Zhang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, baby mustard deteriorates rapidly after harvest, and water loss and shrinkage are the most serious problems ( Sun et al, 2021 ); therefore, retailers sometimes use water treatment to maintain its freshness and quality. Although several methods have been used to preserve the quality of postharvest baby mustard, such as long-term freezing treatment ( Zhang et al, 2021 ), modified atmosphere packaging ( Lin et al, 2021 ), and light exposure ( Sun et al, 2021 ), the effect of water treatment on the postharvest quality of baby mustard has yet to be explored. There is also a need to develop techniques that could be applied to the heads of baby mustard after harvest.…”

Modified Atmosphere Packaging Maintains the Sensory and Nutritional Qualities of Post-harvest Baby Mustard During Low-Temperature Storage

“…Sucrose, fructose, and glucose were extracted and analyzed as previously described ( 9 ). Freeze-dried samples (100 mg) were added to 5 mL of distilled water and homogenized for 1 min.…”

Melatonin Treatment Delays Senescence and Maintains the Postharvest Quality of Baby Mustard (Brassica juncea var. gemmifera)

“…However, the lateral buds of baby mustard are susceptible to dehydration, browning, and the loss of health-promoting compounds during postharvest storage at room temperature (Sun et al, 2018(Sun et al, , 2021. Several methods have been used to preserve the quality of postharvest baby mustard, such as long-term freezing treatment (Zhang et al, 2021), low temperature storage (Sun et al, 2020), and light exposure (Sun et al, 2021). Given the inconvenience and high costs of these methods, there is a need to develop improved techniques to extend the shelf life and preserve the postharvest quality of baby mustard during storage at room temperature.…”