Quality and nutritional properties of ready-to-eat blackberry from different cultivars and pedoclimatic conditions

Abstract

Minimal processing of fruit and vegetables involves different operations that increase the perishability of the final product and often cause a decrease in its nutritional properties. In this work three blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) cultivars ('Chester', 'Arapaho' and 'Triple Crown') grown in the hill (Valle Imagna, BG, Italy) or in the plain (Arcagna, LO, Italy) were evaluated immediately after minimal processing and after 3, 6 and 8 days of shelf-life at 3°C. Following parameters were evaluated: firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), acidity (AC), color (a*, b*, Hue), total anthocyanin (TA), total polyphenols (TP) and antioxidant activity (DPPH). All the cultivars, especially if grown in the plain, showed a slight decrease in firmness during shelf-life, however, they maintained adequate firmness values until the end of the storage. Blackberries grown in the plain had higher SSC and hue and lower acidity than those coming from the hill. 'Chester' was the richest in TP and in TA followed by 'Arapaho' and 'Triple Crown'. TA content was always higher in fruits cultivated in the plain compared to those from the hill. Minimal processing did not importantly affect TA, TP content and DPPH. The nutritional content of the fruit at the end of shelf-life was not statistically different from the harvest. All the evaluated cultivars showed good physico-chemical parameters and nutritional properties throughout the storage and, then, they have an interesting potential as ready-to-eat product.