Treatment With Kiwi Peel Extract Delays Browning in Ready-to-Eat Lettuce

Browning reactions caused by oxidative stress occurring during postharvest procedures signifcantly compromise the quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables, negatively afecting their market value. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase(POD) are two major enzymes involved in this phenomenon, as they oxidize phenolic compounds to quinones, which in turn polymerize to brown pigments. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in developing antibrowning treatments using food by-products. Herein, the efciency of a kiwi peel extract in reducing enzymatic browning of minimally processed lettuce (Lactuca sativa) has been investigated. PPO and POD activities showed an opposite spatial distribution within the leaf, with a higher POD activity in the midvein (MV) and in the inner lamina tissues, and a prevalence of PPO activity in the mesophyll. Considering that MV lignifed tissues are those mainly affected by browning, the temporal trend of PO Dactivity overa 20-day storage period at 4°C was investigated. Data showed that treatment with a kiwi peel extract hinders both the increasing trend of POD activity and browning development compared to control leaves. Tese results could be potentially useful for the industry as they confrm that natural extracts, such as kiwi peel extract, can be valuable for extending the shelf-life of RTE products.