Because of the high demand and limited number of species used, the fresh-cut industry is looking for new species that can work on their own or as part of mixes and with a high nutritional content. The quality of leaf vegetables is in fact based both on their appearance and phytonutrient content.
Perilla frutescens (fam. Lamiaceae) is a species rich in antioxidants, polyunsaturated fats and other bioactive compounds. It is very popular in Japan, China and Korea, where it is used both in the food industry (as vegetable, vegetable oil, spice or natural colouring) and as a medicinal and cosmetic plant, especially considering its antioxidant, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.
"We conducted a study to assess the quality characteristics of perilla during storage (12 days at 4°C) with the perspective of using this species as a baby leaf in the fresh-cut sector. Three genotypes were monitored - two green leafed (Shiso Green by Koppert Cress and Korean perilla by Kitazawa Seed) and one red-purple leafed (Shiso Purple by Koppert Cress). During storage, the total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenols, anthocyanins, perillaketone and other TRPA1 specific antagonists were determined," explains Antonio Ferrante.
All genotypes provided promising results, with yields between 0.4 and 0.7kg/sq m. Korean perilla performed very well, with no significant differences with Shiso green during the first harvest, while Shiso purple had a lower yield. The chlorophyll and carotenoid concentration was higher than in other baby leaves. Anthocyanins hovered between 20 and 99 mg, with the higher value recorded by the purple variety. The phenol content showed the same trend.
Results showed that perilla can be considered a new potential baby leaf for the fresh-cut sector and can be used on its owned or mixed with other baby leaves.
Source: Livia Martinetti, Antonio Ferrante, Nadia Podetta, Angela Bassoli, Gigliola Borgonovo, Alberto Tosca, Paola Spoleto, 'Effect of storage on the qualitative characteristics of perilla, a potential new minimally processed leafy vegetable', 2017, Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, DOI 10.1111/ jfpp.13214