The shelf life and quality of green pea (Pisum sativum) sprouts during storage at different refrigerated temperatures and durations of indirect-sunlight exposure

Abstract

Green pea sprouts are outstanding sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds as well as widely consumed in Asian countries. Nonetheless, their commercial use is limited due to their perishable nature and short shelf life. This study investigated the impacts of different refrigerated temperatures (2.5, 5, 10 and 15 ℃ as well as dynamic temperatures) and durations of indirect-sunlight exposure (0, 30, 60, and 90 min) on shelf life and quality of green pea sprouts. At 2.5 ℃, sprouts without indirect-sunlight exposure retained a good overall freshness for 21 d while samples stored at 5, 10, 15 ℃ and dynamic temperatures maintained fair overall freshness for 17, 12, 4 and 4 d, respectively. Regardless of indirect-sunlight exposure, samples stored at 2.5 ℃ showed minimal changes in weight loss (%), overall discoloration (ΔE * ), total ascorbic acid content, aerobic plate counts and Listeria spp. counts throughout the entire of storage period. Higher storage temperatures and dynamic temperatures with prolonged indirect-sunlight exposure adversely affected weight loss (%), ΔE * , total ascorbic acid content, total chlorophylls, carotenoids and microbial quality as storage time extended. At all storage temperatures, samples with longer exposure to indirect sunlight retained higher levels of total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity during storage. Therefore, storage at 2.5 ℃ without indirect-sunlight exposure could preserve the quality and freshness of sprouts for 21 d, rendering this condition optimal for storage.