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Histological characterization of browning and glassiness — quality deficiencies of white asparagus spears (Asparagus officinalis)

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Abstract

The increasing occurrence of quality impairing discolourations in market products of white asparagus spears gave rise to a joint research project in Lower Saxony (2009–2012). Here we report on histological studies with asparagus spear tissues collected from different processing treatments after harvest. The aim was to define the symptoms of browning and glassiness, to discriminate them from other discolourations and to characterize the underlying tissue damage at the microscopic level.

Macroscopic symptom characteristics were established to separate browning and glassiness from rusty spots (caused by fungal infections). In microscopy assessments evaluation schemes were developed for brightfield overviews on tissue appearance. Detailed studies of cell viability by vital staining in epifluorescence or confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed irreversible cell alterations in unfixed epidermal and cortical tissues. With fluorochromes SYTOX® Green and FUN® 1 staining methods were adjusted to the compound tissue structure of asparagus spears. Even in asymptomatic tissue samples the epidermal tissue and in particular the guard cells and neighbouring cells of stomata showed a basic damage degree of 30% dead cells. However, this threshold was widely exceeded in tissue samples with browning and glassiness which consisted mostly of irreversibly damaged epidermal and cortical cells. Glassiness was experimentally shown to be primarily caused by mechanical injury or pressure in combination with watering of the spear. This symptom of glassiness converted to browning under increased storage temperature, thus verifying the linkage of both symptoms

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Phytomedicine, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institute of Horticultural Production Systems, D-30419, Herrenhäuser Straβe 2, Hannover, Germany

    Nelli Rempe-Vespermann, Gisela Grunewaldt-Stöcker & Henning von Alten

Authors
  1. Nelli Rempe-Vespermann
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  2. Gisela Grunewaldt-Stöcker
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  3. Henning von Alten
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Correspondence to Gisela Grunewaldt-Stöcker.

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Rempe-Vespermann, N., Grunewaldt-Stöcker, G. & von Alten, H. Histological characterization of browning and glassiness — quality deficiencies of white asparagus spears (Asparagus officinalis). J Plant Dis Prot 121, 250–259 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03356520

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