Almost all leafy vegetables are stored in a household refrigerator, but whether the storage attitude of the vegetables, for example, upright, laid down, or upside down, affects the quality or not remains unclear. Three kinds of vegetables, i. e., spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. ), “komatsuna” (Brassica chinesis L. var. komatsuna MATSUM) and “kaiware” (Raphanus sativas L. var. longipinnatus L. H. Bailey cv. Tokinashi) purchased from a retail market were stored at 4°C and 95% RH for 14 days. The vegetables were placed in the attitude of upright, laid down or upside down, and the quality was determined after 0,4,7 and 14 days of storage.
The weights of both spinach and “komatsuna” decreased by 5% and 10% after 7 and 14 days of storage, respectively. “Kaiware” had a wet spongy sheet in the roots, so we determined the moisture content instead of the fresh weight. There was no significant difference in the weight or moisture content among the three storage attitudes.
The amount of total vitamin C in the spinach decreased by 20-25%, 30% and 35% after 4,7 and 14days of storage, respectively. However no difference was apparent among the three storage attitudes. This change in vitamin C content was similar in “komatsuna” and “kaiware”, and some leaves of “komatsuna” turned yellow during storage.
A sensory analysis of boiled spinach and “komatsuna” indicated no significant differences in the green color, odor, taste, flavor, texture or overall preference among the three storage attitudes.
There was also no significant difference in the green color and odor of raw “kaiware” among the attitude. These findings indicate that the storage attitude does not significantly affect the retention of vitamin C nor the taste while storing spinach,“ komatsuna” and “kaiware” in a refrigerator.