Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Aug;50(4):696-704.
doi: 10.1007/s13197-011-0390-4. Epub 2011 May 7.

Biochemical and physiological changes in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.) leaves during storage under modified atmosphere packaging

Jasleen Kaur Brar  1 , Deepak Raj Rai  2 , Amarjit Singh  1 , Navreet Kaur  3
Affiliations

Biochemical and physiological changes in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.) leaves during storage under modified atmosphere packaging

Jasleen Kaur Brar et al. J Food Sci Technol. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), is a highly respiring leafy vegetable enriched with many nutrients and other active ingredients such as protein, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, alkaloids, lysine and L-tryptophan as well as steroidal saponins which are beneficial for human health. Both, quantitative and qualitative losses in this vegetable can be reduced by appropriate packaging and storage techniques which have not been applied hitherto. This study was taken upon to assess the potential of macro-perforated MAP for storage of fenugreek leaves. Packages (bag area: 0.075 m(2)) made from polypropylene (PP) film (Thickness: 35 μmm) were selected for the storage studies. The leaves were packaged in macro-perforated (2 perforations, perforation diameter: 0.3 mm each, with and without mustard seeds as natural absorbents) as well as in non-perforated PP film packages with and without mustard seeds. 10 g of mustard seeds were placed inside the packages to check water accumulation. The packaged samples were stored for 6 days at 75% relative humidity (RH) at 15°C to check water accumulation, if any. Different physiological and biochemical characteristics which generally affect the post-harvest life of the produce were monitored during the storage period. Results of the study suggested that among all the treatments, packaging of fenugreek in two perforation packets with mustard seeds resulted in best maintenance of chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, phenols and aroma. Water accumulation was also consoled due to mustard seeds after 6 days of storage.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Fenugreek; Headspace; Modified atmosphere packaging; Pigments.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Changes in concentrations of O2 and CO2 inside the polypropylene bag containing fenugreek under modified atmosphere packaging at 15°C and 75% RH (n = 3)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Changes in total chlorophyll (a) and phenolic (b) contents of fenugreek inside the polypropylene bag under modified atmosphere packaging at 15°C and 75% RH (n = 3)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The variation in sensory and visual ratings for aroma (a); visual appearance (b); and water accumulation (c) inside the packages containing fenugreek for 6 days of storage at 15°C under different packaging treatments (n = 3)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aharoni N, Devir O, Chalupowiz D, Aharon Z. Coping with postharvest physiology of fresh culinary herbs. ACTA Hort. 1993;344:69–78.
    1. Ansari NM, Houlihan L, Hussain B, Pieroni A. Antioxidant activity of five vegetables traditionally consumed by South-Asian Migrants in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK. Phy Res. 2005;19:907–911. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1756. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Basch E, Ulbricht C, Kuo G, Szapary P, Smith M. Therapeutic applications of fenugreek. Alt Med Rev. 2003;8:20–27. - PubMed
    1. Beaudry RM. Effect of O2 and CO2 partial pressure on selected phenomena affecting fruit and vegetable quality. Postharv Biol Technol. 1999;15:293–303. doi: 10.1016/S0925-5214(98)00092-1. - DOI
    1. Beaudry RM, Cameron AC, Shirazi A, Dostal-Lange DL. Modified atmosphere packaging of blueberry fruit: effect of temperature on package O2 and CO2. J Am Soc Hort Sci. 1992;117:436–441.

LinkOut - more resources