Sensory Evaluation of Minimally Processed Parsley (Petroselinum crispum ), Dill (Anethum graveolens ) and Lovage ( Levisticum officinale ) Stored at Refrigeration Temperatures

Minimally processed fresh fruit, vegetables and aromatic herbs are a becoming more popular because they satisfy consumers’ need for time and healthy nutrients. But, even applying packaging and refrigeration their shelf life is short. The main quality losses that occur along storage are changes in colour, texture and flavour. In consequence, it is important to establish how these factors affect acceptance and preference of minimally processed fresh plant food. So, the aim of the present paper is to evaluate the effect of storage at refrigeration temperature on some quality characteristics of the most important minimally processed Romanian seasoning herbs. The herbs under study were parsley, dill and lovage. A grid of attributes of fresh herbs was developed. The herbs, sealed in polyethylene bags, were stored at 4°C for 12 days. The evaluation of quality characteristics color, texture and flavor, on a scale of 1 to 5 was done in the 1 st, 5 th, 8th and 12day. In order to evaluate the average quality of the herbs, a quality number was used. Starting form herbs scores in the first day, a sensory profile was determined. This was maintained along the storage period. Even though, scores decreased along the storage period, there were no statistically significant differences for any of the parameters under study in the days taken into consideration. Quality number along the storage period do not differ statistically for none of the three herbs. For minimal processed parsley, dill and lovage the maximum shelf-life was estimated to be 23.3 days, 13.7 days and 15.3 days respectively.     th