Optimization of Storage Conditions of Radish Leaves at Different Maturity Stages

Research on waste valorization and utilization of food by-products are increasing day-by-day. This trend not only protect the environment from pollution but also gives good value of food industries wastes and by-products. In this study, optimization of harvesting stage and storage conditions of radish leaves has been done by using response surface methodology. Different packaging materials such as paper, cling film and LDPE (low density polyethylene) were tried for storage. Among all, better retention of all quality parameters was observed in the leaves stored in LDPE. Maximum quality retention in terms of moisture content (94.44%), ascorbic acid (35.37 mg/100 g), DPPH scavenging activity (45.32%), total phenols (684.025 mgGAE/100 g), total flavonoids (1041.066 mg quercetin/100 g) and chlorophyll (48.795 mg/100 g) was observed with 9.55 cm length of leaves and 4 degrees C storage temperature on 24 h. The applied model was found suitable for current study with 94% of anticipated values. [GRAPHICS] .