 |
|
Good breeding increases shelf life
July 21, 2008SALINAS, CA - The lettuce cut and packaged for food service and salad mixes is an increasingly important component of the produce industry. Lettuce is highly perishable, and the cutting required in processing further shortens its shelf life.
Packaging cut lettuce and other fresh produce in semipermeable plastic films extends shelf life via a technique called "modified-atmosphere packaging". The success of modified-atmosphere (MA) packaging for lettuce and certain salad greens has led to innovative products, marketing strategies, and enhanced sales to consumers.
Increased demand for the convenient, pre-cut salads and lettuce has led to scientists to search for ways to select lettuce cultivars that stay fresh, colorful, and crisp. Shelf life and visual quality of salad-cut lettuce are affected by many things, including production environment, vegetative maturity, and type of lettuce chosen. Although an increasing variety of lettuce types are being grown, romaine and "crisphead" (such as iceberg) are the most widely produced for salad-cut products
Ryan J. Hayes, a research geneticist, and Yong-Biao Liu, research entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, published the results of a study that should give lettuce breeders and producers enhanced product information and a market edge. During the two-year study, lettuce was processed from field-grown plants of 33 romaine and three "crisphead" cultivars. Shelf life of each cultivar was evaluated after storage in modified-atmosphere bags and in CO2-free controlled-atmosphere chambers.
Lettuce cultivars 'Clemente', 'Darkland', and 'Green Forest' performed consistently well, ranking in the top 10 in every experiment. 'Alpi', 'Dark Green Romaine', and 'Queen of Hearts' showed clearly unstable shelf life. Hayes noted, "cultivars that performed well in our MA environments will likely be useful as parents in breeding programs to develop new romaine cultivars with an acceptable shelf life. It is also clear that not all crisphead cultivars have good shelf life. Wide variation was observed between the crisphead cultivars Pacific, Salinas 88, and La Brillante."
In concluding the impact of the study outcomes, Hayes stated; "Breeders can use these methods to characterize or identify breeding lines that are suitable for salad-cut markets before release, and to select for increased shelf life within breeding populations. These practices should facilitate a consistent release of germplasm with high quality in MA environments."
American Society for Horticultural Science
Ryan J. Hayes, a research geneticist, and Yong-Biao Liu, research entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, published the results of a study that should give lettuce breeders and producers enhanced product information and a market edge. During the two-year study, lettuce was processed from field-grown plants of 33 romaine and three "crisphead" cultivars. Shelf life of each cultivar was evaluated after storage in modified-atmosphere bags and in CO2-free controlled-atmosphere chambers.
Lettuce cultivars 'Clemente', 'Darkland', and 'Green Forest' performed consistently well, ranking in the top 10 in every experiment. 'Alpi', 'Dark Green Romaine', and 'Queen of Hearts' showed clearly unstable shelf life. Hayes noted, "cultivars that performed well in our MA environments will likely be useful as parents in breeding programs to develop new romaine cultivars with an acceptable shelf life. It is also clear that not all crisphead cultivars have good shelf life. Wide variation was observed between the crisphead cultivars Pacific, Salinas 88, and La Brillante."
In concluding the impact of the study outcomes, Hayes stated; "Breeders can use these methods to characterize or identify breeding lines that are suitable for salad-cut markets before release, and to select for increased shelf life within breeding populations. These practices should facilitate a consistent release of germplasm with high quality in MA environments."
American Society for Horticultural Science
Shelf Life Current Events and Shelf Life News RSSBioreactors might solve blood-platelet supply problems
It might be possible to grow human blood platelets in the laboratory for transfusion, according to a new study at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
Global warming predictions are overestimated, suggests study on black carbon
A detailed analysis of black carbon -- the residue of burned organic matter -- in computer climate models suggests that those models may be overestimating global warming predictions.
Biological alternatives to chemical pesticides
With increasing consumer pressure on both farmers and supermarkets to minimise the use of chemical pesticides in fruit and vegetables, a new study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), looks at why there is currently little use of biological alternatives in the UK.
A plum assignment
Plums: they're sweet, juicy, and packed with beneficial antioxidants and dietary fiber. Although there are many varieties available to consumers, there are two main types of the small, purple fruit: Japanese plums and European plums.
Extending the life of fresh cranberries
Cranberries are tart, tiny fruits packed with powerful antioxidants. The small, red berries offer a wide variety of health benefits. Not only are cranberries a healthy, low-calorie snack, but they can also play a significant role in preventing urinary tract infections, reducing the risk of gum disease and much more.
Taking a cue from breath fresheners, researcher develops new method for taste testing
Using the same concept behind commercial breath-freshening strips, a Temple University researcher has developed a new, easier method for clinical taste testing.
A new idea for how anti-aging products delay ripening of fruit and wilting of flowers
When plants encounter ethylene, a gas they also produce naturally as a hormone, the result is softening and ripening in the case of fruit, and wilting and fading in the case of flowers - all of which ethylene promotes.
Scientists discover how cigarette smoke causes cancer: Study points to new treatments, safer tobacco
Everyone has known for decades that that smoking can kill, but until now no one really understood how cigarette smoke causes healthy lung cells to become cancerous.
Tufts researchers update their food guide pyramid for older adults
Tufts University researchers have updated their Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults to correspond with the USDA food pyramid, now known as MyPyramid.
Fresh-cut produce washing practices can minimize food-borne illness risks
Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently examined the safety and quality of "wash techniques" used in the production of packaged produce.
More Shelf Life Current Events and Shelf Life News Articles
 | Shelf Life: Stories by the Book Newbery Honor author Gary Paulsen has long been an ardent supporter of books, reading, and literacy programs. To further the cause of ProLiteracy Worldwide, he asked prominent authors to write an original story; the only restriction was that each story was to include mention of a book. The result is this collection, Shelf Life: Stories by the Book. From Jennifer L. Holm's story of a girl on Mars... |
 | Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Bookstore by Suzanne Strempek Shea While recovering from radiation therapy, Suzanne Strempek Shea heard from a friend who was looking for help at her bookstore. Shea volunteered, seeing it as nothing more than a way to get out of her pajamas and back into the world. But over the next twelve months, from St. Patrick's Day through Poetry Month, graduation/Father's Day/summer reading/Christmas, and back again to those shamrock... |
 | Shelf Life Evaluation of Foods by C.M.D. Man, Adrian A. Jones Summarizes concisely and authoritatively information on the shelf life evaluation of foods. Covers basic principles, while the remaining chapters cover specific commodities and product... |
 | Freshness and Shelf Life of Foods (Acs Symposium Series) eshness and shelf-life of foods includes a number of disciplines which are relevant for the subject of the book: chemistry, physicis, food technology, and sensory and consumer science. Subjects include flavor, texture, characterization methods and methods to improve the freshness or shelf-life of a product. The book is both an up-to-date and comprehensive treatise of the subject, and includes a... |
| Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores Bookstores are the greatest places on earth, yet there's never been an anthology devoted just to them. Here are sixteen stories, fourteen original to this anthology, each of which includes a bookstore at its core. Science fiction, fantasy and horror. Authors included are David Bischoff, P.D. Cacek, Ramsey Campbell, Charles de Lint, Marianne de Pierres, Harlan Ellison, Rick Hautala, Nina Kiriki... | |
 | Shelf Life: Crisp Packet Edition by Rosie Walford, Paul West, Paula Benson A colourful collection of the world's quirkiest household brands - from Puke playing cards to Hardon... |
 | Shelf Life by Robert Corbet On aisle 1, Louisa's crying.On aisle 2, Adam's trying to get fired.On aisle 4, a renegade shopper is releasing the fizz from soda bottles.At the service counter, an irate customer can't understand why his Long Life Milk went bad after a few years. Working at the supermarket isn't exactly glamorous, but the teens on the staff have a lot of tasty secrets: like the fact that Adam decides to stick... |
| Shelf Life: Essays, Memoirs, and an Interview (Poets on Poetry) by Thom Gunn The first collection of Anglo-American poet Thom Gunn's prose reflections on the poet's... | |
 | Shelf Life: Food Industry Briefing Series by Dominic Man The crucial subject of the shelf life of food products affects the manufacture, processing, distribution, sale and consumption of all foods. It is a hot topic that is on the mind of every 21st Century consumer and cannot be ignored. Following the clear and concise style of the Blackwell Food Industry Briefing Series, Shelf Life allows the reader to dip in and discover or re-discover how to manage... |
 | Shelf Life: Supermarkets and the Changing Cultures of Consumption by Kim Humphery This book offers a history and cultural analysis of the supermarket and of everyday shopping in twentieth-century Australia. It discusses the rise of the supermarket in the United States and Britain, and its eventual emergence in Australia in the 1960s. This is contrasted with the demise of the counter service grocery store. As well, the views of shoppers in Australia toward the "new"... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |