An innovative combined water ozonisation/O3-atmosphere storage for preserving the overall quality of two globe artichoke cultivars

Abstract

Abstract Effects of ozonised water, gaseous ozone exposure, and their combined treatments on microbiological and qualitative parameters of two globe artichoke cultivars (Violet de Provence and Romanesco clone C3) were studied during storage at 4 °C. At the end of this period, microbial counts were significantly lowered. Considering the qualitative parameters, ozone can be successfully applied to cv. Romanesco clone C3 without significantly increasing the respiration rate, while it could determine the acceleration of senescence in Violet de Provence heads. The storage under ozone-enriched atmosphere improved the initial polyphenol content in Violet de Provence, while for Romanesco clone C3 it seemed to be opportune to interrupt the ozonisation within the 4th day of storage for preventing excessive losses of polyphenol content. The ascorbic acid reduction, for both cultivars, was significantly increased by postharvest treatments with gaseous ozone suggesting to reduce, also in this case, the exposure days to the gas. Industrial relevance The globe artichoke is a herbaceous crop native to the Mediterranean basin, which gives an important contribution both to agricultural economy and to human health due to the high content of promoting nutrients. Unfortunately, globe artichoke heads are very perishable because of their high respiratory activity, susceptibility to weight loss, and microbial decay. In particular, fungal decay is one of the main factors affecting the postharvest quality of globe artichoke and, so far, it is controlled by the application of chemical fungicides. However, resistance phenomena in microbial populations, growing public health and environmental concerns are urging for the use of alternative treatments. Among them, ozone is one of the most promising technologies from the health and environmental points of view for its spontaneous decomposition to non-toxic product. In addition, it has emerged as a potential antimicrobial agent in the post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables and is able to decompose pesticides and chemical residues. On the other side, the effect of ozone treatments on other qualitative parameters, including the level of antioxidant compounds, is highly dependent on the commodity and storage conditions. In this view, the combined water ozonisation/O 3 -atmosphere storage represents innovative and applicable postharvest treatments for globe artichoke, whose exposure time and concentrations need to be customized for each cultivar.