Abstract

We held Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears at 1°C for up to 7 and 14 days and then transferred to 25°C to examine the textural and compositional changes that occurred during low temperature storage and subsequent senescence. The preliminary objective of the study was to determine the influence of storage time on the shelf life and edible quality of Asparagus spears when they are transferred to a little bit high temperature to simulate retail display in the super market. A general increase in the amount of fiber of the spears along with the increase of storage time was observed. The toughness determined as the value of breaking force was higher in the bottom portion than in the top portion. The fiber content of the spears increased more when they were transferred to 25°C and the increase was maximum in the spears stored for 14 days at 1°C. There was a gradual loss in sugar content throughout the storage period and the trend of declines were more or less similar for sucrose, glucose and fructose although sucrose was found only in very low concentrations both in the top and bottom portions. The sugar loss was higher in the spears stored for 14 days. Organic acid content also decreased with the increase of storage time. Moreover, the spears stored for 7 days at 1°C remained edible up to 4 days after transferring to 25°C but those stored for 14 days remained only for 2 days which suggested to avoid long time low temperature storage of Asparagus before exporting or simulating retail sale.