Influence of Critical Storage Temperatures on Degradative Pathways of Pigments in Green Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris Cvs. Perona and Boby)

Abstract

In this work a study of critical storage temperatures on pigment degradation of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris, cvs. Perona and Boby) was conducted. In this way, green beans kept better quality at 4 °C than either 8 or 12 °C, maintaining a bright green color and good texture. Nevertherless, temperatures of 4 °C induced chilling injury (CI) after eight days of storage, which became evident when the pods were transferred to 20 °C. Cold storage temperatures, 12, 8, and 4 °C, produced different changes on the green beans chlorophyll profile. Green beans of both cultivars, Perona and Boby, stored at 4 and 12 °C showed a continuous degradation of chlorophyll pigments during storage, while samples stored at 8 °C showed an increase of chlorophyll content at the first 15 days. Carotenoid pigments also suffered different changes during cold storage. Perona was the green beans cultivar which maintained the higher level of lutein, mainly when samples were stored at the most suitable temperature (8 °C). Keywords: Green beans; cold storage; chlorophylls; xanthophylls; shelf period; chilling; quality