An experiment was conducted to find out the effect of brushing treatment during cultivation on the postharvest quality of the baby leaf vegetable, specifically tah tasai Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris var. narinosa). The effect of mechanical brushing during cultivation on the postharvest quality was determined in terms of the quality changes in weight loss, gas partial pressure, leaf color, and appearance during storage using a 30-㎛-thick polypropylene film at 16℃. The brushing treatment included brushing with A4 paper back and forth 50 times a day. The study revealed that the growths on the brushing-treated plant group were less than those on the control group. The structure of the leaf tissue of the brushing-treated plant also tended to be less compact than that of the non-treated plant. The brushing treatment resulted in less growth and denser plant tissues as well as in differences in the gas O2 consumption and CO2 accumulation after packaging. For the gas partial pressure, the O2 consumption and CO2 accumulation of the brushing-treated plant tended to be less than those of the non-treated plant. There were no differences, however, between the brushing-treated plant and control groups in the SPAD value and appearance. The study results also suggested that after packaging, the effects of the brushing treatment during cultivation on the quality of the tah tasai Chinese cabbage baby leaf vegetable was not significant. As such, it is recommended that effective post-harvest methods of improving the product quality of the baby leaf vegetable be further investigated.

The effect of the packing methods for enhancing the shelf life and improving the postharvest quality of the tah tasai Chinese cabbage baby leaf vegetable was studied during storage. Fresh baby leaf vegetables were packed in four commercial packaging types: (1) a non-perforated bag with a 0.03-mm oriented polypropylene (OPP) film; (2) a perforated bag with 1.0-mm-diameter holes on an OPP film; (3) a 0.40-mm polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container with a hinged lid; and (4) an expanded polystyrene (EPS) tray wrapped with a 0.02-mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film. The quality parameters, such as the weight loss, moisture content change, color difference, and appearance of the baby leaf vegetables were investigated. The baby leaf vegetables in the PET container and in the non-perforated OPP film bag showed relatively low weight loss, high moisture content, and good external appearance compared to those in the EPS tray and in the perforated OPP film bag during limited storage periods, at 16oC.ThePETcontaineralsoprotectedthebabyleafvegetablesfromphysicaldamage.Thestudyresultswillenabletheselectionofabetterpackagingsystemforextendingthefreshnessandincreasingthemarketabilityofbabyleafvegetables.

The demand of packaged baby leaves has been increased for its convenient use as fresh-cut produce. This investigation was aimed to explore the effects of different sanitizers on the quality parameters of 'Tah Tasai' Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris var. narinosa) baby leaves. Thirteen days old baby leaves were harvested and washed in tap water (TW), 100 ppm chlorine solution (Cl), 2 ppm ozonated water (), 15 ppm chlorine dioxide solution () and washing with 0.2% citric acid solution followed by 50% ethanol spray (CA+Et). The samples were then packaged in 50 polyethylene bags and stored at for 10 days. Off-odor of packaged baby leaves was not detected during storage. There was no significant difference in color parameters among the treatments. Samples treated with showed substantially higher electrolyte leakage throughout the storage. This treatment also rendered a higher accumulation of in the packages. Samples treated with Cl and CA+Et maintained good overall visual quality with higher scores compared to that of and . Although Cl treatment showed lower number of total aerobic count at the beginning of storage, citric acid in combination with ethanol treatment was more effective until the end of storage. The combined treatment also showed comparatively lower coliform plate count. This result indicates that citric acid wash followed by ethanol spray could be an alternative to chlorine for environment friendly sanitization of baby leaves.