A novel method for assessing antimicrobial, colour retainment and slice healing properties of the fruit of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) as complementary quality parameters

ABSTRACT A novel method for assessing antimicrobial (AMP), colour retainment (CRP) and slice healing properties (SHP) of cucumber fruit (Cucumis sativus L.) was presented. The fruit was sliced in 15 mm slices, foliated in transparent plastic and placed at 23.5°C in a heating cabinet for 14 days. Subsequently, AMP and CRP were scored on scales of 1–9 and 1–7, respectively, with units of one. SHP was scored as an ‘on/off’ criterion with scores of 1 or 9 (1, the sample broke at one or more slice interfaces when manually held in horizontal position; 9, the slices did not break at any point). Samples with maximum scores for AMP and SHP were re-tested after additional period(s) of 7 days. The data were assessed by linear regression and analyses of variance. Approximately 300 cucumber samples, primarily from Denmark, Poland and Slovenia, were examined. Eight cultivation and production factors (cultivation system, production scale, growing medium, pre-laboratory conditions, fruit morphology, calendar week, producer, country) were examined. The results indicated that samples from the organic and biodynamic producers, from small scale production units, and from soil-based production systems had superior quality characteristics as measured by these parameters. The introduction of the parameter SHP represented an approach to measure vitality, complementing the approaches of measuring degradation represented by the parameters AMP and CRP. With respect to a practical application, the predictive value of the method should be tested relative to the ability of the sample to maintain turgor and taste under post-harvest conditions.