The Effect of the Cultivar and Harvest Term on the Yield and Nutritional Value of Rhubarb Juice

Abstract

Since scientific interest in rhubarb from a culinary point of view is a relatively new issue, the aim of this study was to test five edible cultivars of Rheum rhabarbarum L. (‘Poncho’, ‘Canadian Red’, ‘Valentine’, ‘Red Champagne’, and ‘Victoria’) from a specific culinary perspective, i.e., processing into juice. Total yields (t/ha) were established in six harvests during a two-year field experiment. For juice production and subsequent laboratory analysis, rhubarb petioles from two different harvest terms were used (i.e., harvest term A (HTA) and harvest term B (HTB)). Analyses of total sugar, glucose, fructose, total soluble solids (TSS), total acidity, malic acid, and pH level were determined by FT-IR spectrophotometer. Total yields of petioles varied between 28.77 t/ha (‘Canadian Red’) and 45.58 t/ha (‘Red Champagne’) at a density of 11,000 pl/ha. ‘Red Champagne’ significantly (p < 0.05) reached the highest juice yield potential (85%) and the highest values of glucose (9.97 g/L), total soluble solids (4.37 g/L), and total sugars (54.96 g/L).