Effects of Greening and Storage Conditions on the Quality of Alfalfa Sprouts

Abstract

Alfalfa is a perennial leguminous grass. Recently, use of alfalfa sprouts as a vegetable have become popular in Japan. The sprouts are small and thin enough to be eaten raw.
This study was designed to examine the effects of greening and storage conditions on the quality of alfalfa sprouts. Ordinary sprouts were grown in the dark, and the greening was conducted treating the 6 days old sprouts with sun-light for 9 hours at room temperature.
The results obtained were as follows ;
1) Sprouts stored at 2°C kept freshness for a longer period and showed less decrease of total sugar, reducing sugar, and ascorbic acid contents than those stored at 20°C.
2) Little effect of storage position, standing or laying, on the contents of o-diphenol, total sugar, reducing sugar, free amino acid, and ascorbic acid was observed, whereas laid sprouts showed bending upward.
3) Greening showed some effects to keep freshness and to retard decrease of sugar and ascorbic acid contents of sprouts during storage as compared with those of etiolated sprouts.