Influence of Different Packages and Storage Temperatures on the Quality of Edible Allium Species

Abstract

Allium resources in Russia are a potential source of genes for expanding the genetic base of agricultural crops. The leaves of Allium crops have a short freshness period and quickly deteriorate due to spoilage and loss of water. The aim of the work was to establish the yield and change in the quality of green leaves of Allium species introduced into the Moscow region during short-term storage, depending on the type of packaging, storage period, and temperature. Research methods: introduction and mobilization of existing plant genetic collection of representatives of the genus Allium L. was carried out as part of the implementation of the State task. Four to five-year-old plants of four species (A. altyncolicum, A. chyatophorum, A. nutans and A. turkestanicum) were grown on the collection plot of perennial onions of VNIIO, a branch of the FGBNU FNTSO. In the conditions of the Moscow region, the yield per leaf generation varied from 2.7 kg/m2 (A. altyncolicum) to 4.9 kg/m2 (A. cyathophorum). The maximum yield of marketable products was noted in hermetically sealed plastic bags when stored for 10 days at a temperature of +6 to +8 °C in a refrigerator with controlled conditions: A. turkestanicum—70.0%, A. cyathophorum—75.5%, A. altyncolicum—84.9%, A. nutans—92.9%. The maximum content of vitamin C during storage in hermetic bags with a density of 100 μm was found in A. altyncolicum (37.1 mg per 100 g) and A. nutans (42 mg per 100 g). A slight increase in the amount of sugars after storage for 10 days was noted in species with a linear leaf shape when stored in a polymer box. Temperature control is the most effective approach to extending the shelf life of fresh green leaves by measuring their weight loss and vitamin C.