Simple quality prediction measurements for stored onions

• Onion (Allium cepa) is an important crop that is cultivated and consumed all over the world. It is the second most produced horticultural vegetable crop (after tomato) based on weight. In order to be available year-round in Sweden, onions must be stored for several months during the cold part of the year, when no fresh onions can be harvested. However, dormancy break resulting in early sprouting is a common quality problem during storage. Before visible sprouting, changes in the bulb chemical composition takes place, including relocation of oligosaccharides and breakdown of larger sugar molecules into smaller units that are then used as energy during the sprouting process. In this project we used a hand-held reflectometer to measure levels of mono- and disaccharides and calcium in onion bulbs that had been stored for different time periods in order to evaluate the usefulness of the method for quality control. Measured contents of glucose and calcium changed significantly during storage while sucrose content remained relatively unchanged.

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Trädgårdsvetenskap/hortikultur (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Horticulture (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)