Nutritional characterization and changes in quality of Salicornia bigelovii Torr. during storage

Abstract

Salicornia bigelovii Torr. (sea-beans or drift seeds in English, sea-asparagus in Chinese) is an oil-seed plant tolerant to seawater irrigation and perishable with a shelf life of only about 6 days at ambient temperature (25 °C). To provide a potential food supplement, nutritional value of S. bigelovii were determined together with its postharvest quality as affected by storage temperatures (0 °C, 2 °C, 8 °C and 25 °C). Nutritional analyses showed that S. bigelovii contained high vitamins and minerals, which made it an ideal nutritional and diet supplement. Storing S. bigelovii at low temperatures could be a practical technique to extend storage life by reducing the quality degradation. After conducing sensory evaluations and determining ascorbic acid and chlorophyll contents, the optimal temperature for storing S. bigelovii was around 2 °C. This research will help to develop technically effective and energy efficient methods for prolonging the shelf life of S. bigelovii. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.