Effect of storage on the qualitative characteristics of perilla, a potential new minimally processed leafy vegetable

Perilla frutescens is very rich in antioxidants and it can have a healthy effect in the human diet. In this work the potential use of perilla as a new minimally processed leafy vegetable was investigated. Three genotypes of perilla were grown in greenhouse. During storage total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenols, anthocyanins, perillaketone, and other TRPA1 specific agonists were determined. All the genotypes provided promising results. The yield ranged from 0.4 and 0.7 kg/m among genotypes. “Korean perilla” performed very well, without difference from “Shiso Green” in the first harvest, whereas the lowest yield was observed in “Shiso Purple.” Concentration of chlorophyll and carotenoids was higher than in common baby leaf vegetables. The anthocyanins ranged from 20 to 99 mg/100 g FW with higher values in the purple variety. The phenols content showed the same trend of anthocyanins. Results showed that perilla can be considered as a new potential ready-to-eat leafy vegetable to be used alone or in mix with other salad species even in the western diet. Practical applications: Minimally processed leafy vegetables or fresh cut vegetables are important component of the diet and they provide functional components that can have beneficial effects on human health. The young leaves of perilla are particularly rich in antioxidants and can be used alone or mixed with other common leafy vegetables. The introduction of this species in the fresh cut industry will represent a produce innovation, which will expand the health vegetables availability.