Influence of maturity at harvest, N fertiliser and postharvest storage on dry matter, ascorbic acid and β-carotene contents of vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus)
Date
2011Author
Onyango, Cecilia Moraa
Harbinson, Jeremy
Imungi, Jasper Kathenya
Olaf, Van Kooten
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Vegetable amaranth is a leafy vegetable traditionally grown in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where it is the most consumed traditional vegetable. It is considered to have high nutritional quality, containing relatively large amounts of vitamins A and C. We have assessed the influence of the maturity of the vegetable and soil nutrition on the visual and nutritional quality of amaranth. We found that leaf ascorbic acid content is strongly influenced by both maturity and soil nutrition, with leaves of seven week old matured plants having the highest content. β-carotene increased with increasing amount of soil nitrogen and with increasing plant age. The loss of both visual and nutritional quality during storage was influenced more by maturity at harvest and the temperature of storage than the soil nutrition.
Publisher
University of Nairobi. college of agriculture and veterinary services,
Subject
vegetable amaranthmaturity
nitrogen fertiliser
beta-carotene
ascorbic acid
postharvest storage
matter
leaf ascorbic
acid,
Amaranthus hypochondriacus
vegetable storage
soil nutrition
storage temperature