Abstract
Asparagus cultivation and consumption are widely spread throughout the world. Several investigations about fresh asparagus have evidenced that they are a nutritionally well-balanced and one of the best sources of antioxidants being the green spears richer than the white ones. However, there is scarce information on quality of canned asparagus. In the present work, we have studied chemical and phytochemical composition of 21 distinct presentations of asparagus, representative of the distinct brands available in Spanish markets. Our results revealed that this appreciated product continued to be of high nutritional quality after industrial processing, containing 1-1.8% bioactive fiber and 1-3% proteins. In addition, it contained significant quantities of several bioactive compounds, mainly ascorbic acid (6-12 mg/100g) and phenolics that in green asparagus ranged 16-46 mg/100g. Asparagus variety seems to be the factor that most influence the composition and quality of the final product. There were two samples of green asparagus that stand out from all others and that correspond to triguero asparagus from southern Spain. It can be concluded that the selection of varieties taking into account not only agronomic factors, but also phytochemical profile is determinant to obtain a product of the highest quality for both fresh and processed commercialization.
Highlights
Asparagus has traditionally widely prized by its exquisite organoleptic properties, being increasingly considered for its nutritional and functional quality
The samples of white and green asparagus have been labelled as W1 to W11 and G1 to G10 respectively in order to preserve the identity of different brands analyzed
Samples labelled as medium and large had the same size. This lack of consensus about canned asparagus classification did not affect the results and discussion of the present work as we have found that there are no significant differences of nutritional and functional composition depending on spear size
Summary
Asparagus has traditionally widely prized by its exquisite organoleptic properties, being increasingly considered for its nutritional and functional quality. Asparagus spears are available in the market in green and white form. White asparagus is more popular in Asia and Europe, while green asparagus is preferred in America. This plant food is well suited for fresh use, and for freezing and canning; being the last the most commercialized presentation. Asparagus provides very few calories, about 22 Kcal/100 g, but it is an important source of distinct nutrients, such as proteins, amino acids and dietary fiber. Asparagus proteins are of high quality due their composition in essential amino acids [1], and the bioactive fiber is of great interest for its physico-chemical and functional properties [2]
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