BROCCOLI

POST HARVEST HANDLING OF
BROCCOLI
ABSTRACT
• Indonesia is a country which produces a lot of agricultural product each
year because of its good quality of soil and the tropical weather. One of
them is Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)
• Broccoli is the most highly priced cole crop in Indonesia although it is
not extensively grown. It is rich in health-promoting compounds.
However, the amount of such compounds inevitably decrease along with
the storage.
• There are many things should be noticed to maintain the produce
quality after postharvest, such as the temperature along the storage,
shelf life, atmosphere composition and also proper postharvest
handling.
Introduction of Broccoli
• Broccoli is a Brassica genus vegetable with high nutritional value due to
its richness in vitamins, antioxidants, anti-carcinogenic substance and
health promoting phytochemicals such as glucosinolate. Broccoli is also
proven as very important source of phenolic compounds and also
vitamin C. (Nestle 1998, Yuan et al. 2010 in Sabir, 2012)
• Broccoli is a highly perishable
vegetable that senesces quickly after
harvest and thus its postharvest life
is quite short due to yellowing,
softening, water loss, and decay.
(Sabir, 2012)
•Quality cannot be improved after
harvest, only maintained; therefore it
is important to harvest vegetables at
the proper stage and size and at peak
quality.
•In Indonesia fresh handling of
vegetables is still carried out by
traditional methods, especially from
the field to the traditional market. It is
treated without hardly any sorting or
grading prior to marketing
Literature Review
A. Grade and Standart
quality criteria
Heads of broccoli must be entirely green and all flower buds
must be completely closed to be desirable.
Size Grades
• Rukmana (1994) in Bafdar (2007) mentioned
quality factors for broccoli consist of curd density,
greenness, absence of blemishes, and curd
diameter.
Broccoli is graded into 4 size – grades,
respectively:
a. Grade 1 : 30 cm curd diameter
b. Grade 2 : 25 – 30 cm curd diameter
c. Grade 3 : 20 – 25 cm curd diameter
d. Grade 4 : 15 – 20 cm curd diameter
(Bafdal, 2007)
B. Postharvest handling of Broccoli
• Broccoli should be harvested when the curd is firm/compact,

has attained maximum size and the flowers has not opened yet.
• Harvesting time is 50 – 60 days after planting depending on

cultivar (Rukmana, 1994 in Bafdar, 2007). The curds are cut with
a stem length of 25 cm and leaves left on the stem. Post-harvest
handling of broccoli consists of sorting, packaging and storage.
(Bafdal, 2007)
C. Storage of broccoli
• Refrigeration is the only known economical
method for long-term storage of vegetables.
• In lower temperature broccoli have longer
shelf life, about 10-14 days in 0 °C. In room
temperature, the flower begin to open and
turn yellow in 3 days. (Safaryani, 2007)
• The ideal pre-cooling and storage temperature
of broccoli should be carried out at 0-5oC, 80–
100% RH. The recommended storage and
transit temperature is 0 – 2 °C. (Bafdal, 2007)
Discussion
Broccoli is defined as climacteric produce due to its respiration
ratio and ethylene production increasing during senescense
leading to yellowing of florets. (Makhlouf et al, 1989 in
Sabir,2012)
Color change start when flower begin to open and turn yellow,
this occurs whitin 3 days at room temperature. Yellowing it self
is related to ethylene production by broccoli and the
increasement in the activities of chlorophyll-degrading enzymes,
such as chlorophyllase, Mg-dechelatase or Mg-dechelation
The ethylene production can be inhibited
by applying 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) to
the commodity. It is structurally related to
ethylene and works as the competitive
inhibitor of ethylene by tightly binding to the
ethylene receptor in plants, thereby blocking
the effects of ethylene. (Sabir, 2012)
• The optimum storage temperature for broccoli
is 0oC -5oC and 80%-100% RH. The good
packaging also can prevent the water loss,
which can longer the shelf-life. (Sabir, 2012)
• Good package will limit direct contact
between commodity and the undesirbale
substance in the atmosphere.
• A good control of temperature, humidity and atmospheric
composition maximizes the storage life-span of a product.
• MAP (Modified Atmosphere Package) and 1-MCP (1-

methylcyclopropene) combined treatment prevented losses of
green color (chlorophyll breakdown), ascorbic acid and total
phenol content and these florets exhibited significantly less
weight loss at 0°C and 95% RH that control florets. (Sabir, 2012)
• Therefore, combined treatment could be recommended to use

for maintaining the postharvest quality of broccoli florets.
(Sabir, 2012)
Conclusion
• Broccoli is a highly perishable vegetable that senesces quickly
after harvest and thus its postharvest life is quite short and its
health promoting compounds can inevitably decrease during
the storage.
• A good control of temperature, humidity and atmospheric
composition maximizes the storage life-span of a product.
• Low storage temperature and good packaging in broccoli can
prevent the yellowing of the curd and longer the shelf-life.
The recommended storage and transit temperature is 0 – 5 °C
and 80%-100% RH.
• MAP and 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) combined treatment
prevented losses of green color
Literature References
• Bachmann, J. & Earles, R. 2000. Postharvest Handling of Fruits and Vegetable. Horticulture Technical
Note.
• Bafdal,N., Tjahjadi, C., Hong, S., Kim, D., Moody, D. S., & Pujianto, T. 2007. Development Of Postharvest
Field Technology For Fresh Exportable Vegetables Produced In Indonesia. Joint Research Between:
Padjadjaran University and Korean Food Research Institute. Bandung, Indonesia.
• Cantwell, M. & Suslow, T. 2013. Broccoli: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.
http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/pfvegetable/Broccoli/ (August 29th 2014)
• Sabir, F. K. 2012. Postharvest quality response of broccoli florets to combined application of 1-

methylcyclopropene and modified atmosphere packaging. Journal of the Agricultural and Food
Science. 21: 421–429.

• Safaryani, N., Haryanti, S., & Hastuti, E. D. 2007. Pengaruh Suhu dan Lama Penyimpanan terhadap
Penurunan Kadar Vitamin C Brokoli (Brassica oleracea). Buletin Anatomi dan Fisiologi Vol. 15, No.2,
Oktober 2007. Laboraturium Biologi Struktur dan Fungsi Tumbuhan Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNDIP.
Semarang.
• Self Nutrition Data. 2014. Nutrition Facts: Broccoli, raw.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and- vegetable-products/2356/2(August 29th 2014).

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POST HARVEST HANDLING OF

• Broccoli should be harvested when the curd is firm/compact,

• Harvesting time is 50 – 60 days after planting depending on

• MAP (Modified Atmosphere Package) and 1-MCP (1-

• Therefore, combined treatment could be recommended to use

• Sabir, F. K. 2012. Postharvest quality response of broccoli florets to combined application of 1-

• Self Nutrition Data. 2014. Nutrition Facts: Broccoli, raw.

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