Spinacia Oleracea L. (spinacia + oleracea_l)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effects of shade nettings, sowing time and storage on baby spinach flavonoids

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 13 2007
Sara ÅM Bergquist
Abstract Flavonoids are important in plant interactions with the environment and may have positive effects on human health. Effects of light quality and quantity on flavonoid concentration were studied in baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) cultivated under three types of shade netting differing in transmittance of UV-B and PAR, at two times during the season. Leaves harvested at two growth stages for each sowing were subjected to different post-harvest storage conditions. Shade nettings had a relatively small effect on flavonoid concentration in baby spinach. The largest effect was found when radiation was most intense. The nettings then decreased total flavonoid concentration by 15,24% at the normal commercial growth stage at harvest. Radiation and plant growth both affected flavonoid concentration, in opposite or similar directions depending on time of season. This variation was reflected in the statistical analysis, showing significant interactions among the factors. There were large differences (up to 100%) in flavonoid concentration between the different times of the season, in shaded as well as unshaded spinach. Flavonoid concentration and composition changed during storage, but no consistent difference was found between the shaded and unshaded leaves. In most cases, total flavonoid concentration increased significantly during the first 6 days of storage. In conclusion, the use of shade netting is acceptable for production of baby spinach as regards flavonoid concentration and composition. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Influence of growth stage and postharvest storage on ascorbic acid and carotenoid content and visual quality of baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2007
Sara ÅM Bergquist
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Influence of growth stage and postharvest storage on ascorbic acid and carotenoid content and visual quality of baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 3 2006
Sara ÅM Bergquist
Abstract To investigate the variations in quality with growth stage and postharvest storage, spinach was sown on three occasions. For each occasion, the spinach was harvested at three growth stages at 6-day intervals. The second stage corresponded to a growth period used for baby spinach by commercial growers. After harvest, the leaves were stored in polypropylene bags at 2 °C or 10 °C. The highest ascorbic acid content in fresh material was found at stage I. During storage, the ascorbic acid content decreased considerably and the dehydroascorbic acid/vitamin C ratio increased. Storage at 2 °C gave a smaller reduction in ascorbic acid content than storage at 10 °C. Total carotenoid content increased or remained stable during storage. Lutein was the major carotenoid, making up about 39% of the total carotenoid content, followed by violaxanthin, ,-carotene and neoxanthin. Visual quality decreased during storage in most cases, and was correlated to initial ascorbic acid and dry matter contents. The initial AA content might therefore be used as a parameter for predicting the shelf-life of baby spinach. The results also indicate that by harvesting baby spinach a few days earlier than the current commercial stage of harvest the postharvest visual quality and nutritional quality may be improved. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Phytoecdysteroid C2-hydroxylase is microsomal in spinach, Spinacia oleracea L.,

ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2009
Ahmed Bakrim
Abstract An enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of phytoecdysteroids, the C2-hydroxylase, has been investigated in spinach, Spinacia oleracea. This enzyme is microsomal and its Km has been determined using 2-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone as substrate (Km=3.72,µM). It is much more efficient with 2-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone than with 2-deoxyecdysone and, conversely, the C20-hydroxylase is more active on 2-deoxyecdysone than on ecdysone. These data support the conclusion that C20-hydroxylation precedes C2-hydroxylation. The C2-hydroxylase is inhibited by high concentrations of 20E. Substrate specificity and subcellular localization of C2-hydroxylase differ between plants and insects, and these data, as well as those previously reported on other biosynthetic steps, show the great difference between plant and insect ecdysteroid biosynthetic pathways and suggest an independent origin for the pathways in both kingdoms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]